Celts render Raptors extinct 120-99

[snoopy1@pig.net]

Be nice.  We all know I'm no Bill Cooper.  But then, neither am I Bill
Russell, or Chuck Cooper, so I'm in good company not being several people.
there won't be much about Toronto here, because, first, I'm new at this,
and had enough to do keeping track of the Celts; and second, the nicest
thing I can do for Toronto is tosay they tried real hard.

Coming into the game, I was curious to see if the Green were in shape.  The
game was called by Tom Heinsohn and Mike Gorman, both of whom were quite
euphoric over the Celts this season.  Then again, maybe they were just
happy to talk about something besides the lockout.

Schintzus, Jones, and McCarty all sat out this one.

Prior to the game they quoted Coach Pitino as saying that with "not knowing
who'll win, fan excitement will be bigger than ever",  Gee, do you think
he's happy to see Jordan go?  

Heinson predicted Kenny Anderson would bethe "key man", ready to produce
results for the Celts.  He likes the athleticism, and predicts the C's
could average 100+ points per game.  I think he's getting used to playing
Toronto, myself.

The Starting lineup had  Walker and Pierce at forward, Mercer and Anderson
at Guard, and Battie at center.   Let the record show that the Celtics
scored the first two preseason points at the "Centah" by hitting two free
throws after easily controlling the tap and then getting fouled inside.
Pitino seems to have made the offense revolve around two words--run; and
shoot.  

The first quarter was VERY fast, and the C's looked ragged.  They were
running so hard they kept forgetting to catch and shoot the ball like they
were supposed to.  Had Toronto been in shape, the Raptors would have built
a convincing lead.  Dee Brown still thinks he can shoot from outside like
Larry Bird.  He's still wrong.  That's why he's in Toronto, not Boston.

Kenny Anderson picked up 2 quick fouls with 7:50 to go in the 1st, and Dana
Barros came in for him.  Dana, in my opinion, is playing a lot better this
year, so far.  But the play continued, with the C's trying a few moves they
needed more practice to do well.  Again, Toronto was unable to capitalize
on the turnovers.

The shooting license also applies to 3 point shots, as the C's took 20, and
made 9 throughout the game.  

Battie was left in through think and thin, since neither Schintzus or Jones
made an appearance tonight, and Battie showed he was fast, but needs to
beef up considerably before he can seriously plant his body in front of
anyone.  Get thee to a weight room, Tony. Fast.  Before Barkley shows up.
DeClercq came in just before the end of the quarter, and showed he was
willing to take one for the team.  The Raptor's Willis picked up 3 fouls in
the first quarter.

At the end of 1, the score was Toronto 28, Boston 26.  The Raptors shot
55%, Boston hit only 41%.  That was about the only good news for Toronto
all night.

The second quarter began with the introduction of the concept of defense on
the part of the Celtics, notably the press.  The idea was a good one, as
Toronto promptly fell apart.  The Celts settled their pacing, and the shot
percentage went up.  Way up.  Battie, still learning that he needs to use
speed, not body, picked up his 3rd foul early on.  This led to an
appearance by Eric Riley.  By now, the Celts, via Toronto turnovers, built
the lead up.

Pierce began impressing everyone, me included.  Pitino was active and
voluble throughout, visible pointing out where he wanted his players to be
and encouraging them to work the press. This created a 17-4 run that
stretched the C's lead to 36-25 with 9:10 to go.  At this point, Boston
shot 5-5 in the first 4 minutes of the quarter.  There was one play where
the ball was going out of bounds right in front of the agile Pitino, and he
batted it back in bounds!  The ref gave Pitino and A for effort, and the
ball to Toronto.  :>) 

Riley played much smarter defense than Battie.  He's none too beefy either,
but uses speed and smarts to be an effective defender.   By the time the
score hits 50-38, Heinsohn is comparing this team to the Cousy-led teams of
the 60's, in terms of dishing off passes at least.

Declercq, playing with a bandaged hand, sat with 3 fouls with about 5
minutes left.  While I'm not as high on them as Tommy, I agree, the passing
game was very nice to see, as was the notion that one can shoot within the
3 point arc for a pleasant change in C's offensive strategy.

At this point, the pace slowed considerably, as the Raptors closed the gap
with free throws.  Riley can muscle in when he has to, showing this after a
nice pass from Walker.  Toronto paid for not respecting Mercer's outside
shot, as Boston wen't up 63-53 at the half, on 65% shooting in the 2nd quarter.

Third quarter began with Anderson picking up his 3rd foul, but continued
good passing leads tommy to say it's the best Celtic passing team in 20
years.  I bet the movie studios are hoping he goes into the movie review
business.  Once again, though, the C's are ragged, pushing and ruchins, and
not showing as much poise as they did in the 2nd.  Anderson quickly picked
up a 4th foul, followed almost immediately with Battie getting his 4th.
The c's prove Tommy wrong with a spate of bad passing and ballhandling,
leading Toronto to hope it wouldn't be a triple digit victory for Boston
after all.

Through it all, Riley is the only Celtic playing who looks tired, but he
was still effective.  the ofensive end suffers noticably without Anderson
balancing the attack.  Riley picked up his 4th and 5th foul just before the
end of the 3rd, wich ends with an 88-68 lead for Boston.

The fourth quarter showed more of Dana Barros with an intelligent shot
selection, asn more open jumpers for Mercer.  I don't know if Toronto
thought Mercer didn't have it in him, or couldn't reach him in time, or
just forgot he was there.  But Mercer made the most of it.

Battie fouled out with 7:05 to go.  Riley fouled out 2 minutes later.  If
it were a close game, I'd be upset about Riley fouling out.  Again, the c's
had a ragged stretch, essentially trading baskets and showing some hustle.
Considering they only had a week of practice and a 20 point lead all the
way through the quarter, the 4th was essentially a chance for Pitino to
take notes on how his players were doing.

The final game stats:

	Boston		Toronto
FG	42-86		32-71
FG%	49%		45%
3-point	9-20		2-6
FT	27-40		33-42
Reb.	43		41
Turns.	16		24

On the numbers, the C's played well enough to easily beat Toronto because
Toronto was in pretty much total disarray tonight.   Had the Pacers come to
town, it might have been a whole other deal.  On the plus side, had the C's
been a little more polished in general tonight, the last 3 quarters could
have been played by the fans.

Pierce had 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 steals.  And this is a rookie?  If
he keeps this up, the C's may have made the best draft steal since Larry Bird.

Dana Barros had 20 points, 9 assists, and went 6-11.  He's much more
consistent than in the past.

Andrew DeClercq had 15 points, 8 rebounds, hitting 5-7.  With a bandage on
his hand.  Let's break the other one.  :>)

After the game, Pitino held a press conference, and said, among other
things....

He expects Pierce to have a better rookie year then Mercer did, or he'll be
"very disappointed"....

Was pleased with 19 second shots, but wants more rebounding over all...

He doesn't know what the season will bring, since ther was no training camp
to speak of.  He refused to publically speculate on playoff chances, save
for saying the playing field was more level in general...

He was glad of the chance to rest Walker, and he's "not overly concerned"
about the injuries.

But he wants Popeye Jones healthy ASAP.

My impressions.....

Pierce--he did great.  If he keeps this up, he'll be a tremendous advantage
in the 50 game season.

Walker--he wasn't quite the standout he usually is, but he didn't need to
be.  Why use a cannon to kill a fly?  He did more with the passing game,
and that showed maturity on his part.

DeClercq--very steady, but I'd like to see more of him before passing
judgement good or bad.

Barros--I like him a lot more this year.  His shot selection was much better.

Battie--feed him every time he opens his mouth and strap weights to his
body.  Beef him up.

Mercer--he's got a good eye, and decent shot selection.

Riley--plays better than Battie does, at least tonight.

Anderson--played well, and balanced the attack, if he could just stay out
of foul trouble.

Coaching--Pitino is exactly what this team needs--a coach who is actively
involved, and motivates the team in a positive way.  I saw no selfishness
out there.  Pitino is paying close attention, and not afraid to tell his
players what to do while they're out there.

Team in general--A lot better than I expected, given almost no prep time.
They were in generally good shape, except for Riley, who looked a little
winded here and there.  most of the mistakes were due to rushing the pace,
and being overanxious.  Oddly, for a team that's traditionally strong in
the first and third quarters, they did better in the second and fourth tonight.

Prognosis--everyone seems to agree that the C's are much improved, and have
a good chance to go the distance this year, providing they a) get and stay
healthy; and b) have a decent road trip in February.  If they pull that
off, they come into the end of the short season mostly at home.  I think
they need to sharpen their skills a bit, and trust the coach a little more.
 If they start firing on all cylinders, they'll be a bear in the East.  But
it wouldn't take much to make this a disastrous season.  they really need
to make hash out of Toronto on opening night, to se tthe tone for the
season.  The games won't all be this easy, and had Toronto been more
together, they'd have made a game of it tonight.

I'd say this was a good game.  the C's came out running and stayed that
way, they could afford the mistakes they did make, and seems to be learning
quickly.   By the way, the tickets were all free, and there was no riot.
Nyahh, nyahh, nyahh, Toronto.  :>)

Hope you enjoyed the review!

poof....