Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 This was going to be a trade-for-Domantas-Sabonis article, but I decided to keep things on a positive note. We often forget this was going to be a "bridge season" to "greener pastures" down the road . Well not sure this is really a moral victory but the effort was there after they dug themselves that hole. I also like what im seeing from Jayson except for the sloppy turnovers and that seems easy to clean up. — RyanBB (@GreenTeamer247) December 9, 2021 RyanBB must have read my thoughts . Were it not for an explosive game from an opponent named after the Celtics home tow n, The Green may have left with a win. Brandon Boston, Jr . was in flames with a team-high 27 points on 69% shooting. But Jayson Tatum , other than the six turnovers, revealed once again how special he is. He put up a team-high 29 points and 10 rebounds, while going to the foul line 10 times - making nine of them . The Celtics rely on this young star so much, things start to crumble when he is off ...

      1st Quarter       Jayson Tatum  Came Out En Fuego       JTs first basket was a dunk off a steal from the Wolverine . Then he was shooting lights out from three, evenen banked one off the glass. It must be the bright lights of LA that had him coming out hot. He has this in him to start this way. Now he can draw double teams and get open shots for his teammates.     RWill Mr Hammer Jam        Coming off a few excellent passes, he was able to lay the hammer to the rim . Whenever he's in the lineup he brings the energy, he's just a lit fire cracker when he plays. He's been one of best Celtics this season and his game continues to grow. He's a very smart and intuitive player.  Celtics lead 33-31 , not much defense being played.        2nd Quarter        Where is that staunch D       Starting off the quarter with the lead and the D seems v...

 No, it wasn't just the Celtics 117-102 loss to the rival Los Angeles Lakers last night that generated this article. It was the way it happened . Boston kept the game close - or at least staying within single-digits of LA until midway through the third period. Then they just found it damn difficult to generate any effective offense . The game went downhill for the Celtics from that point. Jaylen Brown was again out of action with a persistent hamstring issue , and his absence hurt. When Jayson Tatum was off the court , The Green struggled to put points on the board, but the stats for the season reveal a bit more. Jaylen has played in 13 of Boston's 25 games thus far . When he is out of action, the Celtics Offensive Rating actually increases from 104.7 to 108.6, but the Defensive Rating takes a real hit - going from 98.8 (on court) to 110.0 (off court).  The Net Rating goes from +5.9 (on court) to -1.4 (off court), a negative 7.3 Point Differential . Don't be fooled by the ...

        There Will Never Ever Be Another Larry Bird        Happy Birthday to the Great Larry Joe Bird . A true original, a guy from a small town who would lay his own gravel and mow his own lawn. A guy who could out drink anyone, then go and drop 40 on the team he faced the next day. An original on the court as well, his basketball IQ was second to no one and I MEAN NO ONE!       Larry was the ULTIMATE player, he could nail the three in your face or with multiple defenders near him and he would tell you he was gonna do it prior to it happening . He could drain shots from the midrange with ease, he could post up and get to the hoop. His passing was second to no one, he would find team mates anywhere even when he wasn't looking at them. He could rebound with the best of them, He was a damn good defender.        He gave his entire body and soul to basketball , if he played today he would DOMINATE! Today's soft...

 For those that didn't notice, Jayson Tatum has missed very few games over five seasons . For 2021-22, he is the only Guy in Green to play all 24 contests thus far . And by my count, he has only been absent for 19 games over his first four seasons in Boston. He is truly the Celtics "Iron Man", but even steel breaks if bent, flexed and worked too often - and for too long. Jayson leads his team in minutes with 36.5 MPG - not an unreasonable amount of floor time for the team best player, but at some point, Ime Udoka needs to monitor his star for signs of wear. I once wrote that Tatum may may be the "smoothest" player on the parquet that I have ever personally witnessed over the past six decades. That quality, I believe, may help the young star avoid injuries. Going back to the early 60's, I cannot quickly recall any Celtics player with the smoothness of Tatum. He almost literally floats down the court, and even his off-balance shots are fluid - no awkwardn...

     Here at the Sentinel,we award the hard work of certain players. Those that exemplify the spirit of Tommy Heinsohn. Some games it's one guy, other times it's multiple. Well after last night's performance we have a winner.            Our Sentinel Citation Award winner is the entire team. They played well on both ends of the floor. Offense and defense was on task. What I most loved was how they were pulling for one another during the game. Even at the end when PP was putting on a show. This team has pieces that when they are on can be very special. If they can grow and continue to put together all 4 quarters, this could be a special year. Bleed Green!   

       Will the Celtics Blaze to a win? Let's hope they do! They are missing JB, Amazing Al, and Romeo where out thou Romeo. Will Ime get a win in his homecoming? Let's say Bleed Green, and we win! Celtic Pride for life!        1st Quarter        Who Steps Up In Al's Absence       Given how well Al played last night, and all season. Who will be the guy to fill that role? Will RWill be that guy? He's shown all year how valuable he is to this Celtics team. He keeps possessions alive with his effort, gets big rebounds, big blocks, and some hardcore hammer oops. Or could it be Freedom?! Now when I hear his name I think of the George Michael song!        Great First Say What?!      We saw a very well played first for this team, crisp passing, finding the open man and just making shots. Defensively they brought what they did last night into tonight's first. Giving effort and just...