Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 The Golden State Warriors seemed prepped to end their Championship "drought" in their Game 2 win over the Celtics. Hell, they haven't won it all since 2018. They hardly looked like the lackluster crew that took the floor in Game 1. The Dubs were physical and intense and manhandled The Green in the third quarter to even the series, 1-1. Boston has 18 turnovers while Golden State racked up 15 steals in the contest. Rob Williams only saw 14 minutes in the game and was clearly hampered by his knee issue.  Al Horford and Marcus Smart who both were so efficient in Game 1 combined for a horrid FOUR (4) points last night.  The good news? The next two games are in Boston, but home court has meant little in this post-season . But the Celtics do have home-court advantage (for what it's worth) with three of the next five games in Beantown.  A major concern is the health of Rob Williams . It appears Ime Udoka feels that a hampered Williams is better than no Williams, and...

 The Celtics system designed by Danny Ainge, Brad Stevens and Ime Udoka relies heavily on switching defense, meaning guys with sufficient size and strength to handle the task. At 6'1" and 195 pounds, Payton Pritchard may seem out of place . The stats for the post-season, and the eye test, indicate otherwise. Although Payton is averaging only 13.6 minutes per game in the playoffs, his per-36-minutes stats reveal : 14.5 PPG - 5.5 RPG - 4.8 APG - 0.6 TOsPG - plus/minus of +9.5 - 46.5% FG - 37.7% 3s Admittedly, Pritchard's lack of size is sometimes exposed on the defensive end , but he can score from anywhere - takes care of the ball (0.6 turnovers per game) - and works hard on defense . He can get exposed on Ime Udoka's plan to switch one-through-five, but this kid belongs in the League . So what happens from here? That may depend on the outcome of this season. Has the "Little Guy" in Boston become a thing of the past. I hope not . Memories of Bob Cousy, K C...

 She is not seen around the Celtics bench because Marcus Smart's late mom, Camilla no longer has a physical presence on this earth - but her spirit lives on in the body and mind of the man I love to call The Wolverine . She is present in the mind and spirit of her son. In seasons-gone-by, Marcus would occasionally erupt over an incident or no-call on the floor, and on at least one occasion, Camilla Smart told her son, "Calm your ass down." Coach Udoka takes the same approach when Smart makes a bonehead play on the court - chiding Marcus with, "What the f---k was that!" I view Ime and Camilla as like-minded, tough love proponents . Tough love works. In Boston's Game 1 victory, The Wolverine was under control on both ends of the court , coming away with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals . He shot 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 on 3-pointers. I can not remember such a stabilizing performance from the gritty point guard. So Marcus expects to ...

 It is no secret that the Boston Celtics hang their hats on lock-down defense. But their versatility has been paramount in their success, meaning being able to effectively switch one-through-five . The acquisition of Al Horford, Daniel Theis and Derrick White overtly revealed Ime Udoka's mission. The Celtics can go either big or small , but it is center/forward Rob Williams who is often the difference-maker. At 6'8"  with an ungodly wingspan, he is capable of guarding almost any opponent anywhere on the court. He blocks shots on the perimeter and forces any opponent with designs of driving in for a layup or dunk to think twice about it. In less than 30 minutes per game , Williams III averaged close to a double-double (10.0 PPG, 9.6 RPG) in the regular season while blocking 2.2 shots per contes t. He is a quick leaper and able to quickly recover for multiple attempts to corral rebounds. Rob can be counted on for several lob/dunks per game and a few put-backs via offe...

  The March 7, 2016 issue of Sports Illustrated was staring at me from a basket next to my desk. There they were, the BIG-3 of the Golden State Warriors - Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. In March of 2016, the Warriors had already won the 2015 Title under rookie head coach, Steve Kerr , and they were contending for another Championship. But aside from the heat of competition, Curry said it best: "It took me until my fourth year to be on a winning team in this league," says Curry. "So I know how great it is to win. I know the league is so fluid. One trade, one bad free-agent signing, and it's over. So there's no way I'm not gonna have fun. I never fail to savor it." Steph and his compadres are back at again in 2022, facing the Boston Celtics in the Finals - but trailing in the series, 1-0. But Curry's words need to resonate with Boston fans , as well as his own. Despite the criticism lashed at rookie coach, Ime Udoka, and his crew, the...

  What if I told you that, Steph Curry went off in the first quarter, the Warriors as a team had a dominant third quarter, and JT had an off shooting night. You would probably say we lost, well as you all know by now the Celtics won game 1 of the Finals.  After Steph Curry went off in the first quarter, these hard, gritty, Celtics were only down by 4. The "Moment" didn't seem to big for them. They responded in the second quarter by ending up with a lead at the half. As a fan I felt good, but we all know this Warriors group has killer third quarters.  In the third quarter the Celtics were out rebounded, and didn't execute very well. The Warriors were up by as much as 15! That didn't stop us from trusting in their game plan and Coaching from Ime Udoka. What is it about third quarters?!  As they entered the fourth quarter, they came out with their heads on fire. JB led the charge, this young stud has shown numerous times over these playoffs he can carry this team. ...

  The Boston Celtics dominated in the fourth quarter to take out the Golden State Warriors, 120-108. Here are some thoughts on that Boston victory. Two guys NOT acquired for 3-point proficiency hit 11-of-16 treys Al Horford and Derrick White combined for 68.8% accuracy from behind the arc, totaling 47 points. Marcus Smart is becoming a legitimate scorer for Boston The 2022 Defensive-Player-of-the-Year has left his erratic bombs behind him. Smart racked up 18 points on 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 on 3-pointers. The Wolverine still drives frequently into the paint but lately has been fairly reliable on shooting the long ball. Celtics ball movement was as good as anything seen in the 2021-22 season Boston totaled 33 assists to Golden States' 24 . Jayson Tatum had 13 all by himself. The passes were quick, crisp and on the money for the most part. It was a thing of beauty. Jayson Tatum may not shoot this poorly again in the series  Tatum only scored 12 points in the game ...