Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

  1st Quarter ☘️ It's a shootout right now, both teams are trading haymakers. Clearly we haven't witnessed too much defense early on. It's nice to see the Celtics pushing the pace. DWhite has been leading the way in scoring! As I've said all year I love this dude! He's going to be a huge cog in Banner 18 coming home!  Oh boy DWhite has hit the ground, seems to have gotten some incidental contact. Hope he's ok....  JT to Rob the Lob for the HAMMER HOME! Smart hits Rob for the Lob! Rob the Lob times two! C's have allowed the Hornets to stay close enough. Time to show why they are one of the worst teams in the NBA. No MERCY! JT with a sweet as honey fall away jumper!  Is it me or is JT getting MVP chants here in Charlotte?! Now that's a sign of respect, and there seems to be plenty of Celtics fans there! Al is en Fuego tonight! Marcus on the other hand can't hit the front side of the barn. C's have allowed way too many points right now. The defense ...

 That was the buzz early last season when the disgrunted Ben Simmons decided to sit out the season in Philly. One such proposal broached sending Marcus Smart, Josh Richardson, Grant Williams and two first round picks to the 76'ers for Ben. Another had Smart, JRich and Rob Williams III heading out for Simmons. Back to the present, and more sanity. The Celtics lead the entire NBA with a 32-12 record and Marcus just keeps getting better-and-better as main point guard. Over the last four games - all wins - he is ranked third in the League with 11.0 assists per game. Smart doesn't exactly burn the rim from the hinterlands, but this season he is hitting at a 33% clip on treys. How about Ben? He has attempted one 3-pointer this season - and missed it. He seems plagued by a fear of taking any shot from distance and having to go to the free throw line after being fouled. So any potential deal sending Marcus Smart to Simmons' new home in Brooklyn would be total folly . Smart...

 I recently wrote about the importance of the Celtics holding their ground in the top-heavy Eastern Standings. Well, as of this writing, they are doing better than that - t hey are separating themselves from the pack. They still hold the top record in the League (32-12, .727) and are on a 6-game winning streak. They are trailed by Brooklyn (27-14) and Milwaukee (27-16). For the Nets and Bucks, injuries to Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo/Kris Middleton , respectively, come into play here. But the Celtics have been without Jaylen Brown for the last two games, both wins for The Green. Certain players have stepped up to fill the void created by Brown's absence. In last night's 122-106 victory over Charlotte , it was Malcolm Brogdon (30 points, 65% FG),  Al Horford (16/7/6) and Marcus Smart (13 points, 12 assists). Can the Celtics keep up their winning ways? It seems quite probable. Thus far they have weathered the blow of being without their second-best (some may think ...

 Good question! Let's take a look at what Celtics player's stepped up to supply Jaylen Brown's 27 points and seven rebounds per game in Boston's victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. It turns out six Celtics ( Marcus Smart, Grant Williams, Derrick White, Luke Kornet, Payton Pritchard and Malcolm Brogdon)   all surpassed their season averages to supply 27 extra points . The sextet did even better on rebounds, supplying an extra, combined 12 boards. It was Smart (16 points), White (15 points, 7 boards) and Kornet (11 points) who really stood out. You may notice I omitted assists in this discussion. Jaylen is only averaging roughly three assists per game so no fill-in was required in that category. However, Marcus filled that category by himself with 10 assists versus Brooklyn, campared to his 7 APG season average . So the answer to the title question may be "everybody". That's the way it should be.

 That is what I proposed in my article on New Years Day . The first test of the Nets solidity (or lack thereof)  came with the knee injury to Kevin Durant who is expected to miss one month of action. Here is my take on Ben Simmons from that article: The third prong of Brooklyn's Big-3,  Ben Simmons,  just  can't seem to find a position or team that suits him.  Usually listed as a 6'10" point guard, Simmons can play various spots on the floor, but injuries and what can only be described as  "mental unsteaduness"   - and the unwillingness to take shots from any distance - have attached  many question marks to his future in the League. Ben's flaws surfaced in the Celtics 109-98 win over Brooklyn last night. Even though Simmons had nine rebounds and 13 assists in the contest, he took only three shot attempts and missed all three . He scored ZERO points , hardly what his team was looking for to help fill the 30-point void left by Durant's abs...

  1st Quarter ☘️ No JB tonight, expect to see JT elevate his game tonight. Will Marcus be able to shut down Kyrie? I'm gonna say heck yes! Anyone else get sick to their stomach seeing Kyrie? After what he did to the Garden floor that's how I'll always feel. Childish behavior!  C's seem very flat right now, refs suck already! Great find by JT as DWhite nails a threeeeeeeee!!! What a drive by DWhite as he scores in the paint! Tonight should be a DWhite kinda game! Expect him to come up big! Given the C's are short handed, he tends to play his best in these situations.  C's offense is flailing so far, until Luke nails a nice jump hook! Luke Kornet for THREEEEEEEEE!!! He's making the most of his opportunity. He's been pretty solid when called upon this season. His defense is fundamentally sound. He can pass, and has a few crafty offensive moves.  I love seeing GWill going to the hoop, it's nice to see his game evolve. Luuuuuuuuuke Kornet with the tip in!...

  In last night's impressive win against a great Pelicans team led by CJ McCollum who was unreal the two Jays did something special. Something that hasn't been done in 33 years! Why is 33 special well duh it's Larry Joe Birds number! Ok back to what went down last night. JT and JB were both able to score 30 plus points while grabbing 10 boards!  Anyone remember the last time that was done by the C's??? It was Reggie Lewis and Kevin McHale! Talk about two special Celtics right there! Kevin McHale was unstoppable, there wasn't a post move he didn't invent! Reggie Lewis was a growing star and his game was becoming one of the best! We all know what happened to Reggie. One of the saddest days of my sports life.  Enjoy these special moments fans, I'm not about stats, I'm about winning. This however is pretty damn special. This will be a game we remember as the Celtics continue towards the number one seed and eventually Banner 18.  In a separate impressive stat...