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Carr on Defense
- Subject: Carr on Defense
- From: Theresa Lee <tjoyce@MIT.EDU>
- Date: Wed, 19 Mar 97 11:44:57 EST
Celtics' defense takes turn as worst: Rivals
have best shot against them
By Peter May, Globe Staff, 03/19/97
With all the giddy anticipation of seeing Tim Duncan
don a Celtics cap
on draft night, let us not lose sight of the
not-so-giddy present. The team
he may join is compiling one of the worst seasons in
NBA history not
only in the standings, but also in two important and
revealing categories.
The Celtics are leading the league in points allowed
and opponents'
shooting percentage. In and of itself, that may not
necessarily be a
terrible thing; in fact, coach M.L. Carr notes that
Boston is not the worst
in terms of point differential, scored vs. allowed
(Vancouver and San
Antonio are worse).
However, what the Celtics are doing relative to the
rest of the league is
revealing. It's one thing to allow 107 points a game in
a high-scoring
league. That, obviously, is not the case this season.
It's one thing to
allow teams to shoot better than 50 percent if others
are doing the same.
That also is not the case.
Simply put, the Celtics' numbers in those two
categories are so far above
the norm as to be considered historically horrible.
Through Sunday,
Boston was allowing 106.8 points a game, 10.5 more than
the NBA
average. Among the truly odious teams of the last 30
years, only the
1991-92 Mavericks, who were 11-71, come close in that
category. They
allowed 9.2 points more than the league average.
The opponents' shooting percentage is even more
revealing, for it
indicates how hard the Celtics are making it for the
other guys to score.
The answer? Not hard at all. Only one team, Boston, is
allowing
opponents to shoot better than 50 percent (50.2); the
league average is
45.3. To illustrate their defensive passivity even
more, the team closest
to the Celtics is Vancouver, which is at 47.5 percent,
closer to the norm
than the edge.
These numbers mean little to Carr.
``Obviously, it's not what we want,'' he said
yesterday, ``but what's
more important to me is differential. I could make it
an 80-point game
every night by simply walking the ball up the floor,
but I won't do that.
If we're leading the league in points allowed but still
had a plus
differential, I'd be very happy.''
The 1991-92 Warriors did just that. They allowed a
league-worst 114.8
points a game, 9.5 points above the average, but scored
118.7 a game.
They finished 55-37 but lost in the first round of the
playoffs.
So games like Monday night's 126-117 victory over
Milwaukee are OK.
You may have heard Chris Ford talk in reptilian tones
about the Bucks'
defense, but you heard nothing from Carr, even though
the Bucks shot
54.5 percent.
``We're playing an aggressive, trapping style and we
want to make the
game up-tempo,'' Carr said. ``If you put a couple guys
back there as
shot-blockers, it'd be a whole new ballgame. Don't
forget, we had
Antoine [Walker] playing center for a while.''
Walker couldn't guard the big centers. Walker can't
guard anyone on the
perimeter. As much as we all are impressed with the
rookie's
considerable athletic skills on offense, not to mention
his voracious
rebounding, his on-the-ball defense is abominable. And
he's not alone.
Eric Williams isn't a whole lot better. Breaking down a
Celtic in the
half-court is about as hard as breaking a dollar bill
at a bank.
You can chalk it up to all the pieces that are missing,
but you also have
to be concerned that nothing is being done about it.
The scoring and easy
baskets continue, unabated, and while Carr insists
things will be better
next year - how can they not be? - you have to wonder
whether bad
habits are becoming ingrained.
``What does concern me,'' Carr said, ``is containment.
One-on-one
defense. That's the thing we have to get better at. You
can't allow a guy
to get by you. All of a sudden, you're in the advantage
game.''
There is no better team at capitalizing on the
``advantage game'' than
tonight's opponent, the Utah Jazz. They are shooting a
league-best 49.8
percent from the field.
In a league where no team is averaging 50 percent from
the field, the
Celtics are trying their best to change that. Since the
All-Star Game, the
Celtics have played 21 games and lost 19. In 18 of
those games,
including seven of the last eight, the opponent has
shot 50 percent or
better. Recent history tells us Utah should make it 19
out of 22.
Rick Fox (bruised right heel) and Walker (sprained
right ankle) sat out
yesterday's practice but will go tonight. Dee Brown
will get more time if
his big toe isn't any worse ... Carr said he likely
will re-sign Stacey King
to a second 10-day contract. The first expires after
tonight's game ... A
crew from the Discovery Channel was at practice to
shoot a sports
segment for a piece about the city of Boston. Fox ended
up playing
against the camera crew and didn't guard anyone there,
either.
tjoyce@mit.edu