re:No Excuses

[opi@unesco.org]

No weakass excuses from either Billups or Mercer about last night. I
don't remember Mercer being so talkative back when he was in Boston, not
that he's turned into Don King or something since moving a mile higher.
Here are clips from Frank Del'Apa in todays Globe. I actually and
honestly wish those two well this year and down the road. Denver has a
nice little team. We've played worse at times this year than they did
last night, judging by the sound of it.

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''It was a tough loss, but you have to give [the Celtics] credit. They
played hard and they were up for us. We had a lot of turnovers, but they
caused those turnovers with their press and half-court defense. This is
the worst way I could have wanted the game to turn out, for the team and
myself.''

Mercer was questionable for the game after missing three games with a
sinus infection, saying, ''Physically, I was feeling fine.''

But Denver coach Dan Issel noted that Mercer had not practiced nor
played in a game in a week.

 ''It wasn't the ideal situation,'' Issel said. ''In a situation like
this - and I've seen a number of them - you want so badly to play well.
And you either play awfully good or awful. But he wasn't the lone ranger
out there. We all played awful.''

The blowout proportions did allow another former Celtic, Chauncey
Billups, to  salvage some productive playing time. Billups scored 19
points, all but 3 in the fourth quarter.

''The fourth quarter didn't mean anything,'' Billups said. ''I was just
trying to make things respectable.

''They had more intensity than we had. If you don't match their
intensity, you don't have a shot. Ron and I would definitely have liked
it to be a closer game, so one of us could have taken it over. I don't
regret anything. I'm happy everyone got out of here healthy. We still
have to play them one more time.''