Celtics beat Blazers

The Celtics, after leading by as much as 25 points in the second half, squeaked out a one point victory over the blazers. They are now 19-10 at home. Pretty damn good. Overall, their record improves to 28-30, two games under the .500 mark. Making the playoffs does not seem far fetched now. Especially as the Celtics seem to be an improving team that is gaining confidence.

The trade that brought Kenny Anderson to the Celtics not only improved the team at a vital position, but, as a side benefit, also improved the team by clearing out some bodies, creating an opportunity for Greg Minor. Minor has responded by playing extremely well. Tonight he again saw significant minutes and had something like 14 points, 6 boards, and 5 steals.

DeClerq and Knight both played well. At one time, Pitino had them both in the game at the same time, along with Barros, Bowen, and Minor. This is only the second time I've seen them in the lineup at the same time, and it proved to be an effective combination.

Barros had a good game tonight, and he and Kenny Anderson combined for 30 some points. A good contribution from our point guards. Anderson is still not qite in Pitino shape, and asked to be taken out a couple of times. Still, he is contributing greatly to the team, and can only improve as he gets to know his teammates better, gets to know the system better, and gets in better shape.

Bowen had his usual game. Solid on D and not too productive points wise. Still, when the game was on the line, he was in there to guard Rider who had developed a hot hand in the 4th quarter.

Mercer had a quiet night. He didn't seem to have it tonght, and saw less playing time than usual. The main beneficiary of his pine time was Greg Minor, who must have played close to 30 minutes.

Up until midway through the 3rd quarter, the Cs were leading by a comfortable margin, and it looked like we might see Dontae (not Dante) time again, and also Tyus Edny. But, Portland got hot and the Cs relaxed defensively and the game quickly went from blowout to squeaker. Portland actually had a chance to win the game. They were down by one and had possession with 5 seconds and a tick to go. Stoudamire drove to the hoop and served up a floater that didn't go down. We were lucky. It would have been a crime to lose this game after playing so well for three quarters.

Anyway, squeaker or no, we won, and it sure was fun to see. I really enjoy watching this team. I never subscribed much to the theory that a coach contributes significantly to a teams success, but I do now. Coach Pitino is clearly the reason why this team is so improved. My hat's off to him. I don't believe a word he has to say when it comes to his players (who he is willing to trade, who's untouchable, etc.), but you gota love what he's doing to this team.