[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Sporting News Boston Celtics



> [Image]                                                            [Image]
>                                                                  [Image]
> 
> [Image]    [Image]               [Image]           [Image]
> [Image]                                  [Image]            [Image][Image]
>                                          [Image]
>             [Image]                      [Image]            [Image][Image]
> [Image]     Boston Celtics                                         [Image]
> scores      Team Report posted October             [[I[Image]
> fans' 5     21, 1997                                        [Image]
> standings
> power poll  by tsn correspondent                       [Image] Player
> teams       PETER MAY [Image] Boston Globe             Stats / Bios
> schedules                                              [Image] TSN
> players
>             Two weeks into training camp, the          Store: Get your
>             Celtics still look more and more like      Celtics gear!
>             a team searching for itself, searching     [Image] 1997-98
> customize   for an identity, searching, searching,     Schedule
> experts     searching.                                 [Image] Team
> tsn store
> games       A win? Right now, that's not even on       Report Archives
> fantasy     Rick Pitino's screen. The team was
> archives    wasted over the weekend in Green Bay       Related Stories:
> sportsmail  by the Bucks, dropping them to 0-4 in
> chat        the exhibition season. They flew home      [Image] Former
> search      Sunday and then were treated to a          Celtics guard
>             three-hour workout at Brandeis
>                                                        charged with
> voice of    University. Whew!                          assault
> the fan                                                Dennis Johnson, a
>             It was big-time regression. Pitino
>             liked a lot of things he saw in            five-time
>             Boston's previous exhibition game, a       All-Star, faces a
>             loss in Kentucky to the Nets. He saw       hearing today
>             nothing of the sort on Saturday and        after being
>             rightly called the 48-minute slaughter     arrested at his
>             (118-96) a "debacle." Offense,             home in Orlando.
>             defense, special teams (whoops, wrong
>             sport) you name it. The coach sees         [Image] Pitino's
>             lots and lots of work ahead and nine       no miracle worker
>             days until an opening night encounter
>             with the Bulls.                            Ray Allen leads
>                                                        the undefeated
>             "Our defense is not at an NBA level        Milwaukee Bucks
>             right now," Pitino said.                   with 19 points in
>                                                        a 118-96 rout of
>             "We've got young players who don't         the Boston
>             defend at this level right now. Our        Celtics.
>             halfcourt defense is extremely soft
>             and we've got to toughen up because        [Image] Pitino
>             everyone is abusing us, one-on-one."
>                                                        loses a "home"
>             In particular, Pitino singled out his      game
>             two draft picks, Ron Mercer and            The Celtics lose
>             Chauncey Billups, his "dream               123-115 to the
>             backcourt" of the future, for              Nets in an
>             criticism. The coach has dropped bombs     exhibition game
>             here and there in the past week to the     played at
>             effect that neither player can play        Kentucky, the
>             NBA defense, or college defense for        school where Rick
>             that matter.                               Pitino coached
>                                                        for eight
>             "They are getting abused by backup         seasons.
>             players in the NBA because they didn't
>             have their junior or senior years of       [Image] Hawks
>             college," Pitino said.                     beat Celtics
>                                                        again
>             Pitino said his troops appear fatigued     Steve Smith
>             from all the pressure and trapping         scores 18 points
>             that his system demands. That             [in Atlanta's
>             inevitably leads to concentration          100-91 exhibition
>             lapses and the Bucks were more than        victory over
>             happy to take advantage. Milwaukee         Boston, the
>             made 44-of-72 field goal attempts          Hawks' second win
>             while at the same time the Celtics         over the Celtics
>             managed only 14 assists and forced         in two nights.
>             only 10 turnovers. That, clearly, is
>             not Pitino Ball.                           [Image] New
> 
>             "I said there are going to be nights       coach, same
>             like that and we've got to work            Celtics
>             through it," the coach said.               Rick Pitino's
>                                                        debut with Boston
>             "We can't get disorganized or              features
>             disappointed. Guys right now are           aggressive
>             getting too disappointed by the            defense and
>             losses. I'd rather have the focus on       all-out hustle
>             learning and teaching."                    but ends with a
>                                                        113-89 loss to
>             He has nine days left before the           Atlanta.
>             losses start to count.
>                                                        Eastern
>             UNTIL TIPOFF
>                                                        Atlantic
>             The Celtics added another body,            * Boston
>             signing 6-11 center William Cunningham     * Miami
>             to a one-year, make-good minimum deal      * New Jersey
>             on Thursday. While Cunningham doesn't      * New York
>             fit the "scoring big forward" that the     * Orlando
>             coach said he wants, he is a big man       * Philadelphia
>             who likes to bang and Boston has few,      * Washington
>             if any, of those. Cunningham was
>             released last week by the Suns,            Central
>             although Phoenix GM Bryan Colangelo        * Atlanta
>             said it wasn't an easy decision.           * Charlotte
>                                                        * Chicago
>             "He improved dramatically in the time      * Cleveland
>             he was here," Colangelo said.              * Detroit
>                                                        * Indiana
>             "He just wasn't going to make our          * Milwaukee
>             team."                                     * Toronto
> 
>             Cunningham played at Temple, finishing     Western
>             up in 1996. He spent last season
>             playing in the IBL for the Minneapolis     Midwest
>             franchise. Boston has 15 players on        * Dallas
>             its roster. . . .                          * Denver
>                                                        * Houston
>             Although Pitino's training camp has        * Minnesota
>             produced no apparent casualties, the       * San Antonio
>             game against the Bucks did. Newcomer       * Utah
>             Bruce Bowen, who has been singled out      * Vancouver
>             by Pitino as one of the few to be in
>             shape and grasping his system,             Pacific
>             suffered a concussion in a collision.      * Golden State
>             He is not expected to play Tuesday         * Los Angeles
>             night in Orlando. . . .                    * Los Angeles
>                                                        * Phoenix
>             The Celtics' play four games in five       * Portland
>             days this week to close out the            * Sacramento
>             exhibition schedule. After the Magic       * Seattle
>             game, they host the Knicks on
>             Wednesday and the Bucks on Friday
>             before traveling to Philadelphia to
>             play the Sixers on Saturday. . . .
> 
>             After putting up big numbers in the
>             first three exhibition games, Antoine
>             Walker ran into Tyrone Hill on
>             Saturday and scored 4 points, making
>             1-of-4 field goals. In his first three
>             games, Walker had averaged 30.7 points
>             a game while hoisting an average of
>             25.3 shots a game. . . .
> 
>             The Celtics did not sell out Rupp
>             Arena when Pitino & Co. played there
>             last Wednesday. But more than 15,000
>             showed up to pay homage to the former
>             coach, who received a standing ovation
>             when he walked onto the court.

- -- 








GO CELTICS!!!!! GO BRUINS!!!! GO RED SOX!!!! GO PATRIOTS!!!!