Celt's Critical

[Dan Forant <dforant1@nycap.rr.com>]

CLIPPERS 103, CELTICS 100
Celtics' condition critical 

Boston loses 10th straight on road


By Michael Holley, Globe Staff, 12/27/1999 


OS ANGELES - We bring you the unofficial NBA Glossary for Losses on the Road:

 
For extensive coverage of the Boston Celtics, including statistics, links,
schedules and more, see the Celtics page in The Boston Globe's Boston.com.  
 

Two consecutive losses is a ''snag''; four consecutive losses is a
''skid''; six consecutive losses is a ''slump''; eight consecutive losses
is a ''problem''; and 10 consecutive losses is a ''crisis.''


The Celtics have a crisis.


They opened their season with a road win at Toronto and have lost 10 in a
row since then. That means they have not won a road game in the United
States since spring. They have lost in Texas and they have lost in Ohio.
They have lost in Rick Pitino's hometown (New York), Antoine Walker's
hometown (Chicago), and Doug Overton's college town (Philadelphia).
Yesterday, it was Paul Pierce's turn. He left tickets for 30 of his closest
friends at the new Staples Center and, in the guard's West Coast hometown,
the Celtics lost again.


The final was 103-100, Clippers. There wasn't necessarily a reason for the
defeat; ''reasons'' is more accurate. But when Pitino stood in the
visitors' locker room and stared at a stat sheet, all he could talk about
was the Celtics' defensive problems. He didn't like the way they defended
the Clippers' 3-point shooting. He didn't like the way his team twice
failed to box out (''We gave them 6 points right there''), and he didn't
like the way his team approached 6-foot-9-inch, 260-pound forward Maurice
Taylor.


''We couldn't guard Maurice Taylor,'' Pitino said, noting that Taylor had
26 points. ''He killed us down the stretch [13 fourth-quarter points].''


Once upon a time, when Pitino thought he was going to trade his lottery
picks in 1997, he flew Taylor into Greater Boston and worked him out in
Waltham. In other words, he knew the hefty man from Michigan could make
17-foot jumpers with ease. That would have been useful if the 6-foot Pitino
was assigned to guard Taylor, but that job went to 6-9 Antoine Walker (28
points).


But that's not to say Walker was the only player whose man had a good
offensive night. It was a team-wide epidemic. That lack of defense became a
problem in the fourth quarter, which the Celtics began leading by 8 points,
76-68. Less than five minutes later, the game was tied when dynamic rookie
Lamar Odom soared to the basket for a dunk.


It was a different game from then on, and not just because the game was
tied. It was different because the Celtics brought out their Road Meltdown
Kit: bad shots, bad defense, and bad ballhandling.


''I know I took a few shots that shouldn't have been taken,'' said Pierce,
playing for the first time in seven games (after a sprained left ankle).
''I've got to learn from it; it's got to be a learning experience for me.''


Pierce had an interesting 34 minutes on the court, finishing with 24
points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. He missed four of his five 3-pointers
and was 6 of 17 from the field. After the game, he said that the game very
easily could have been a 103-100 Celtics win. Here's why it wasn't: The
Celtics acted too late.


With 71 seconds left, the Clippers led, 100-93. The announced crowd of
12,039 was stunned when Walker dunked to make it 101-99, Clippers, with
23.5 seconds left. Taylor then made a terrible pass to reserve guard
Charles Jones, the ball went out of bounds, and Taylor - with six seconds
remaining - fouled Tony Battie. The center made one of two free throws and
then watched as Walker was forced to foul Troy Hudson (who made two
freebies for a 103-100 advantage).


So, there were the road-weary Celtics, in a position to tie the game
despite their sloppy play. They had just under five seconds with which to
work and they were obviously going to run a play for Pierce or Dana Barros.
They opted for Barros, who got a decent straight-on shot from about 24
feet. He missed. Despite the return of Pierce and Danny Fortson (''My
timing on rebounds was way off''), the Celtics lost on the road. Again.


Is there a chance that this team has some type of geographic phobia?


''I don't think it had anything to do with the West Coast,'' Pitino said.
''It had to do with our inability to stop them. It had nothing to do with
East Coast-West Coast. We could be out in Antarctica and it wouldn't
matter. It's all about defense and offense and execution.''


Fans in LA were raving afterward about the performances of guys named
Nesby, Piatkowski, and Closs (a crowd favorite). All of them played well,
but they also had the fortune of playing against the anti-Rand McNallys. 


''It's time for us to look ourselves in the mirror and learn how to finish
these games off,'' Walker said.


That would be OK if the Celtics could look in the mirror and not see their
itinerary. That end-of-1999 itinerary calls for two frightening places:
Sacramento and Denver. Unfortunately, neither place has parquet and neither
place is Boston.


This story ran on page D01 of the Boston Globe on 12/27/1999. 
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company. 


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