Youth is an excuse for some things.

[damekmo@teleport.com]

>I don't expect Walker whose not a newcomer to help blow these leads. He
>single handedly contributed to the change of momentum late in the 4th along
>w/Mercer and KA. Pitino had just as much to do with it, not bringing back
>the Ukraine Train. Hill killed us with layups. We know KA's a choker, will
>Mercer be the same?

No, Mercer is not a choker and neither is Walker....they're just young. If
youth is an excuse for anything, it's an excuse for losing leads to veteran
teams with a player like Hill. Learning how to protect a lead...learning
how to increase your intensity and concentration...learning how to remain
in control at crunch time....learning to do all that on the road takes
time. I don't mean to sound like a shrink, but...oh..and let me say one
thing about Hill. I've mentioned this before on this list, but once
again...I know guys who watch him all the time and he's hardly a consistent
model of someone who comes through in the clutch. That is, he's been known
to stink it up when they've needed him the most. Not only bad shots and
turnovers but at times by totally disappearing. The same can be said for
any number of players. I know it's frustrating because the Celtics
should've won last night. To be honest...I don't think having Vitaly in
would've made any difference at all. The turnovers and missed shots started
piling up and...that's when it's nice to have a veteran who knows how to
win on the team. Last night showed progress, especially after the other
games on this trip. Now...Indiana?

Paul M.