Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

      Reggie Lewis : What could have been. As his career and game were ascending,  suddenly, tragically he collapsed during a playoff game in 1993 vs the Charlotte Hornets which turned out to be his final game. His last moments in this earth were spent on the court during an off season practice. He was special and was going to be that next great Celtic .       How many players can say they were on a roster that consisted of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish and say they were becoming the best on the team well that's what was happening with Reggie. Lewis had some epic moments during his years and especially in the playoffs when the Celtics needed him the most.       Reggie could do it all and get to the hoop with ease. His midrange game was becoming unstoppable. He could even knock down an occasional three even though it wasn't as prevalent as it is in today's game. Defensively he was nasty! In a single game he blocke...

  Danny Ainge tried this, and it failed miserably . In  2017, he acquired Kyrie Irving (trade) and Gordon Hayward (free agency) , both of whom wanted to be "THE GUY" to lead the Celtics to Banner 18. Boston fans know how that went! The main point here is that the 2021-22 season will determine if Jayson Tatum will take control of on-court leadership of The Green. Damian Lillard's name has surfaced as a potential target for the NBA teams, including the Celtics, but there is no way he ends up in Beantown. Dame coming to Boston at the expense of losing Jaylen Brown or Marcus Smart negates any such deal immediately, but Lillard would take over the reins of the Celtics in a season that is do-or-die for Tatum-as-on-court leader . Jayson will be 24 mid-way through the 2021-22 season, and at that age Larry Bird had control of The Green quite firmly. And at that same age, Paul Pierce was well on his way to leading his crew, unfortunately as a one-man show. The Celtics fal...

      William Felton Russell aka Bill Russell aka The Greatest. What words truly convey this man not only on the court but off of it. Winner, fighter, class, leader, and so many many more. Not only did he accomplish a lot as a basketball player, he did so much as a civil rights leader which  the character of this great man. As a player, he did all the little things but did them with a greatness. He was a dominant defensive player, he could block any shot, play man-to-man D like you have never seen and could teach a master class in rebounding. He never averaged over 19 points in any season yet let's be real. He could have averaged whatever he wanted.       Talk about a winner in college! He led San Francisco to back to back titles in 55 and 56 . Following that he led the USA to gold in the Olympics. Selected by the Boston Celtics in the draft allowed history to write itself. Bill was an eleven time NBA champion winning in 57, then 8 titles in a...

      Damian Lillard is a guy who any team would love to have, and each and every fan base as well. When you watch him play, you say damn he's got no fear at al l. No moment is to big for him. He's got it all.  He can drive and get to the hoop. He's good at the midrange game. When you talk about his three point ability, you know he can knock it down from anywhere.       Taken sixth in 2012 Draft out of Weber State, the sky was the limit and expectations were high. He did not disappoint in his rookie year where he captured Rookie of the Year honors . He also made the All Rookie First Team . He made the All NBA team in 2018. He's a four time All NBA second team and one All NBA third team as well.       He's a six time All Star and the only other Blazer to ever do that was Clyde the Glide Drexler  Talk about some amazing company. Especially given the players who have graced the Blazers organization over the years. Dame has won t...

 Former Celtics GM, Danny Ainge , hit two home runs in three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays prior to joining the NBA in Boston. He also hit the same number as Celtics boss, luring Kevin Garnett to Beantown and working a heist with the Nets to eventually acquire Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum . I suspect that Ainge was looking for his second home run with the Nets deal because he realized he could not remain at the helm of the Celtics forever. With Brad Stevens at the wheel, don't expect any such blockbuster trades or free-agent acquisitions. Bringing in Al Horford for the 2016-17 season was significant, but not a blockbuster. Al left of his own accord via free agency, but he is back - and Boston is the right place for him. Effectively trading the injured Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving proved to be a bad move. Ditto for bringing in Gordon Hayward at the same time in 2017. Both stars wanted to be "The Guy" with the Celtics, and that was never going to work. Irving...

      Climb on my back boys! No more infamous words then those before game 7 of the 1984 NBA Finals vs the Lakers. Cedric Cornbread Maxwell delivered after those impactful words. During that same series after James Worthy missed a key free throw in game 4 Max walked by him making the choke sign.       Cedric Maxwell lead his college team to the Final Four in 1977. A smaller college in UNC Charlotte not your typical big time college, pretty impressive and speaks to the talent and skills of Cornbread.       Cornbread had some of the best low post skills of any player ever to take to he hardwood. He had an uncanny ability to fake the defense into the air and score easily . Another skill of Cornbreads was to draw contact from his opponents and get to the line. He also had a pretty decent hook shot as well.       Cornbread was a two time NBA Champion winning in 81 and 84. Taking home F inals MVP in 1981. He was ...

           Sam Jones was an amazing player and winner on the basketball court. He was a part of the Boston Celtics when they were the most dominant team in basketball history . No team in the NBA had a run like they did, winning 8 titles in a row and no team will ever come close to that. Another measure of a man is his service to his country and Sam served the US Army for two years.       Sam was part of the the dynamic duo of the Jones boys alongside KC in Boston. Sam was there for ten NBA title teams from 59 to 66 as well as 68 and 69. His role on those teams was of huge significance during those magical runs. He was a five time All Star . He was named to the NBA's 25th and 50th anniversary teams. His number 24 is hanging in the Boston Garden. Sam "Mr Buckets" Jones is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Jones was part of the first all black starting five in NBA history!       Sam's ability on the floor gave him the ...