Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 Shams Charania reports that the Milwaukee Bucks Kris Middleton has now been reported to have a Grade-2 MCL sprain and may miss the entire second round series against the Boston Celtics. The Grade-2 designation means that the medial collateral ligament has been partially torn , often causing instability in the knee. For a pro athlete, any such instability can lead to a complete tear without allowing proper time for healing. The left MCL injury of Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton is a Grade 2 sprain and he is expected to miss the entire second-round series vs. Celtics, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium . The recovery of Grade 2 MCL places a potential Conference Finals in jeopardy for him as well. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 28, 2022 If true, this information is disturbing to a Bucks team trying to repeat as Champions this season. Kris' 20 points, five boards and five assists would be sorely missed versus the stifling defense of Boston. Stay tuned for updates.

    So here we are it's the second round of the playoffs for your Boston Celtics. They will take on the defending champ Bucks and the great Greek Giannis. They may be short handed missing Celtic killer Kris Middleton. This has to be said never underestimate the heart of a champion.    This series has the markings of an epic slugfest, two heavyweights on a collision course. We all know how incredible Giannis is, he owns the paint and the rest of his game has developed nicely. However we have multiple players who can challenge him defensively. Al Horford, RWill, Marcus the Wolverine Smart and the Jays. Don't be surprised to see JT and JB take him on as they did with KD.    This Bucks team is built around the Greeks dominate post play, he's surrounded by multiple shooters. Thankfully the Celtics D switches like no other we have seen. Fully expect the C's to force Giannis to get rid of the ball. Who from the Bucks will take on the challenge of stopping the...

 Back in December, I broached the question of Jayson Tatum's ceiling getting into Kevin Durant-territory . With the Celtics sweep of the Nets in Round One - and Durant's less-than-superhuman performance - Tatum seems to be KD's equal, at least for the series. Here are the numbers: Durant: 44.0 MPG - 26.3 PPG - 5.8 RPG - 6.3 APG - 1.0 SPG - 0.3 BPG - 38.6% FG - 33.3% 3s Tatum: 41.7 MPG - 29.5 PPG - 4.5 RPG - 7.5 APG - 1.8 SPG - 0.8 BPG - 45.6% FG -  41.9% 3s JT gets the nod on points, assists, steals, blocks, FG% and 3-point percentage . It can be argued that Ime Udoka's stifling defense on Durant also stifled his performance, but it was no cakewalk for Jayson out there. There was a lot of defensive focus on him all series long. Durant will be 34 years old at the start of the 2022-23 season. He is assuredly past his prime. It is doubtful Tatum has peaked yet at the age of 24. So for my question back in December: Is Kevin Durant too high a ceiling-projection for Jayson...

 I have to be honest here. A sweep of the Nets was never on my mind . But "jubilation" only partly describes my feeling after Boston took the series in four games. More than any Brooklyn player, Kevin Durant was my major worry. And I was concerned that Kyrie Irving may have a superior series against the team he abandoned. And then there was the question of Ben Simmons returning and possibly having a revival with his new team. None of that happened . Durant was "held" to 26 points per game, hitting on only 39% of his field goals . His mid-range game seemed to desert him - or should we say Boston's stifling defense took it away. Irving averaged a respectable 21 points per game, but was unable to make up for the time he lost gelling with his teammates during his anti-vaccine stand . And for Simmons, he never showed up , and we are now hearing of mental issues entering the picture along with his back woes. I didn't expect a sweep I believed in a series win...

  The Boston Celtics just took the Nets best effort and still defeated them. If you told me that KD would score 30 plus I would have told you I'd be worried. Despite that this group came out on top and brought the Brooms out and have sent the Nets home permanently.    The Nets are yet another example that just because you have a few stars it doesn't mean you have a complete team. The Lakers and Nets both were star heavy, one team didn't make the playoffs and the other you just swept off the court. These Celtics have been built the right way, thru the draft,trades and free agency. Guys who come to Boston want to win, and be part of the tradition of Bleeding Green.    Once again JT played as though he owns the NBA, yet he fouls out on a Dragic flop that even soccer players would say was over embellished. The way JT can take over a game offensively, whether thru scoring or passing is elite. He has become a monster on D as well. JB was huge in tonight's game when he...

    Talk about another coming of age victory by your beloved Celtics! Early on it seemed the Nets were up to the fight. Yet the Celtics flexed their defensive and offensive muscle.    There were a few moments in each quarter that led to Ime calling timeouts things could have been much different. Each time he made that call his team responded as they should! Coming out of those key timeouts like their hair was on fire.    Countless times this team showed how resilient it could be. Once again it was a team effort! JT and JB did what studs are supposed to. Everyone else filled their roll. Smart was on point with his D, causing anyone he guarded a true headache. PP was like instant O and as confident as anyone. Our three headed monster down low went to work.     All I know is this team plays D like no team I've seen since maybe 08. They may be even better, but to get that moniker you need to win the ring! All I can say is this team has given me a...

 Jayson Tatum: "My message is, nobody plays harder than we do!" ESPN's Zach Lowe wrote recently that Boston's defense over the past several months may be the best he has ever seen - and I second that statement. Zach Lowe thinks the Celtics defense since New Years Day may be the best he has ever seen. Mentally going back to 1960, he may be correct. https://t.co/tS1jkKESlZ — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) April 23, 2022 The Celtics crew are no longer taking plays off - becoming complacent - letting leads slip away . They plug away on both defense and offense, and the Nets Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant must feel at times that the refs are allowing too many Celtics players on the floor . Jayson Tatum may have had six turnovers in last night's 109-103 victory, but he also had a team-high six steals to go with  team-high 39 points . Payton Pritchard continued his efficient work of the bench,  scoring 10 points in only 12 minutes - hitting 4-of-5 from the field and 2...