[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Michael Holley: Pitino Enraged; Says He's Not Living Up To His Abilities
[The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
[Boston Globe Online / Sports]
CAVALIERS 113, CELTICS 86
Defenseless
This Celtic effort downright offensive to
enraged Pitino
By Michael Holley, Globe Staff, 03/24/99
CLEVELAND - The experiment lasted a
little more than 48 hours. On
Sunday, Rick Pitino said he would try to
be Cool Hand Rick. He couldn't do it.
As of last night, Pitino is now the
angriest man in the business. He said his
team pushed him to his breaking point. He
said he could take a CBA team and make it
better than the current Celtics. And, the
coach promised, if he sees another
performance similar to the most recent one
at Gund Arena, his players will be unhappy
as well. Not to mention unemployed.
It took a while for Pitino to gather
himself and speak. Immediately after the
Cavaliers put on a Dunk/Layup Festival in
their 113-86 win over the Celtics, Pitino
went to the visiting coach's office here
and slammed the door. He stayed there for
a while, his head down, staring at a
wretched box score. When he emerged
several minutes later, he appeared to be
as depressed as he's ever been in his two
seasons as Celtics coach.
''I tried to stay positive and upbeat,''
he said, ''but that's humiliating defense.
I've seen the Washington Generals play
better defense than that.''
He didn't come close to cracking a smile
when he compared his team to the ragged
bunch that the Harlem Globetrotters used
to abuse. The Celtics were that bad.
''I told the team that I haven't raised my
voice this year,'' said Pitino. ''And I
understand the lockout has prevented us
from teaching the little things of the
game. There reaches a point, though, where
I won't be humiliated. I'm going to watch
this film, and if people are humiliating
the Boston Celtics, they will not start
[today] or [today] is their last day.
They're not going to play anymore. It's as
simple as that. I've reached my breaking
point and I think even Dr. Norman Vincent
Peale would have cracked a long time
ago.''
Pitino knew he didn't need to see any
doctors last night. You don't need an M.D.
to understand that when a team shoots 58
percent against you, you lose. But it was
more than the percentage. The Celtics gave
up dunks and layups. The Cavs scored more
than half of their points - 62 of them -
inside the paint. Which is to say they
dunked all night. Former Celtic Andrew
DeClercq looked like a young Julius
Erving, making seven field goals. Four of
them were dunks. The other three were
layups.
That's all anyone in Cleveland could talk
about afterward, the non-defense of the
Celtics. That annoyed the coach. He hates
to be embarrassed that way.
''I've reached my breaking point,'' he
repeated. ''And it won't go beyond
[tonight]. If we lose, we're going to lose
fighting with the people that want to
fight and not, `If I get my points, I will
play defense ...'
''Everybody is going to think of team,
winning defense. If they don't want to
think of that, they can sit there and
watch the other guys do it. It's not one
person. It's a bunch of people.''
The more you heard Pitino speak, the more
you thought that he somehow regretted
leaving the University of Kentucky and
signing a 10-year, $50 million contract
with the Celtics in May 1997. The first
six years of that contract, at $7 million
per season, are for president/coach
Pitino. The last four years are for
president Pitino. That's the way Chairman
of the Board Paul Gaston structured the
contract. But Pitino sounded as if he
didn't want a part of it. He didn't say
that. This is what he did say:
''You get what you deserve in life, and we
deserved the thump beating. I'm glad we
got booed the other night because we
deserved it. The only thing I feel
terrible about is the fact that Paul
Gaston had to bring me in here to show the
Boston Celtics that [type of discouraging
atmosphere]. I feel bad that he had to
sign me to that type of contract because
I'm not living up to my abilities, either.
I feel bad for the Gaston family and
Celtic fans.''
Maybe you're wondering what caused the
coach to ramble this way. Answer: The
game. The Celtics were in it briefly. But
they couldn't guard anybody. They didn't
shoot so well, either. It was their ninth
consecutive loss on the road, four away
from the team record set in 1979. Last
night, they were so bad that Pitino
cleared his bench late in the third
quarter. He called his team's lack of
defense a ''disease.''
''I told them I could get a CBA team to
play better than they are on the defensive
end,'' he said. ''I really believe that. I
really believe that I can take a CBA team
and win more games than these guys, off
their defense. Or lack of defense. There
is absolutely no pride in defense at
all.''
Offense and free throw shooting were
problems last night as well. But the coach
didn't get into that. That's a monologue
for another time.
''We're not even able to contain a man off
a simple screen or a simple dribble,'' he
said. ''We're not talking about Allen
Iverson here. I give credit to the
Cavaliers, but we're not talking about
Allen Iverson moves.''
It's interesting that the coach mentioned
the 76ers point guard. Because after
tonight's game against the Timberwolves,
the 8-16 Celtics face Iverson and the
Sixers. Imagine what he will say after he
sees the real thing.
This story ran on page C01 of the Boston
Globe on 03/24/99.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.