Celtics vs. Knicks

["Almost right is still wrong." <DANP@accint.com>]

Hi,

Just some thoughts while watching the Celtics & Knicks:

Antoine Walker looks like he's ready to enter prime time.  He's having a great
game - not without mistakes (the behind the back pass in the third quarter was
a momentum breaker) but man he's looking good.  Just need to rein him in a
*little* bit, as he still doesn't have a quick outside shot and isn't the
best guy to bring the ball up on the break.  His rebounding is outstanding, and
he's finishing his inside moves better than ever.

The Celtics are one player away from being a good team.  I can't believe they 
are still playing with this much enthusiasm with their record.

Does anyone remember a couple of years ago when people started pointing out
how players performances took a nose-dive when they started playing with 
Michael Jordan?  I'd say the same disease seems to have affected Patrick
Ewing's teammates.  Charles Smith, Larry Johnson, Allan Houston... are there
more?  I guess Charles Oakley has always done well around him.  I don't think
Patrick has any idea how much more effective the Knicks would be if he would
concentrate on defense and rebounding, a la his Georgetown days.

What many people fail to realize when touting the "next Russell" was that
Russell's attitude was just as important, if not moreso than his skill. 
Here's a guy who just didn't care about scoring, about stats.  He was one of the
least selfish guys in the game - he just did whatever needed to be done.  Why
doesn't Patrick realize that the Knicks have several guys who can shoot 20-foot
jumpers, but not many who can set up in the post and toss in a little hook shot
from 5 feet?

Eric Williams has looked great tonight.  If only he were this agressive on 
offense every night.

Dan


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