Bskball.com Column

[Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com>]

(revised column, bsk)


3/24:  Questioning Authority

Celtics fans have turned into abject, ravenous beetles,
climbing over each other in misery to try to escape the
terrible losses the team has taken.  Despite being
healthy and more talented than ever, the team has
continued to lose and lose, the latest indignity being
an overtime loss to the Bulls at home.  Randy Brown
looked like Scottie Pippin that night, and a few nights
later, worst of all, our own Andrew DeClerq was a
veritable Shaquille, dunking on us again and again as
the Celtics played no defense whatsoever against
Cleveland.

A shot of Pitino on the sidelines showed an expression
of quiet horror, like the "ten thousand yard stare"
soldiers are said to acquire after witnessing
unspeakable carnage.

The mystery of the team's bad play is underlined by the
fact that almost no one has ever questioned Pitino's
ability to coach and motivate a team.  But now, for the
first time, fans and sportswriters are beginning to
tenatively question authority.  A rival internet
columnist, the "boston sports guy", has arrayed a full
bore, multi-count indictment of Pitino as GM and Coach,
which I think wrong on every point, but which looks
dismally impressive, and seems to carry the weight of
the hard facts behind it,  though it doesn't.   
Indeed, it is hard to wonder how such a vociferous and
intelligent coach can fail to get his team to do such
elementary things as defend, box out, pass the ball,
and look both ways before crossing the lane.  The whole
team is shooting something like 50% from the free throw
line, for Pete's sake.  What in the name of Larry Joe
Bird is going on here? 

Pitino doesn't seem to have the answers, except for an
unprecedented tirade after the game.  ''I've reached my
breaking point,'' Il Duce said. ''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 ...'

``It's not one person you can blame,'' said Pitino.
``It's a bunch of people predicated on how they are
playing team defense. It's a disease, but it's going to
stop. The Boston Celtics stand for winning, tradition,
teamwork. When we do that, we can be a decent
basketball team. And we'll think of that from here on
out because I broke. They broke me tonight. It's no
more.''

Asked what he told his players after their latest road
pounding, Pitino continued the assault.  ``I told them,
`Look, I've tried to stay ultra-positive, but this
disease is going away tonight.'"

Something drastic seems to be in the works, but
finally, what is the threat of benching in the NBA? 
You have to play the guys sooner or later.  And the
trading deadline is past.  For now.  Boston Globe beat
writer Mike Holley went on the radio and said that he
thought Kenny would be gone after this season, and the
Pitino might trade away one of his three young stars --
Mercer being the most disposable in terms of talent if
not temperament.  This is awful, particularly for this
observer, who has drawn four very unhappy conclusions
from the current mess.

1.  Paul Pierce, despite his talent, is something of a
baby.  He cried in a Kansas newspaper that his
teammates weren't getting him the ball, which while a
legit complaint hardly shows the right spirit. 
Pitino's remark about somebody saying that they would
play D if they could get their points might well have
been about Pierce, he or Kenny.  Pierce also was
reduced to trembling on the point of tears by one of
Pitino's tongue-lashings, and that suggests that both
he and Pitino need to make adjustments.  Pierce cannot
be a fluke.  He has to get his shots, especially since
he passes very well when he gets them.  He's basically
better than Antoine.  But basketball is a team game,
and Pierce's hasn't been able to flourish when teh team
plays bad.  

2.  Kenny's great play last year, on the other hand, 
may well have been a fluke.  He clearly doesn't like
giving up the ball unless it's for some fancy pass, he
doesn't penetrate to pass (he considers himself some
kind of Adrian Dantley, apparently) and of his defense,
the less said the better.  The Celtics are not a better
team offensively with him at point than with Dana
Barros.  Who would ever have thought that?  Strange,
strange...

3.  Pitino can't press the way he wants to, and people
are losing faith in the system.  Teams are shredding
the press almost effortlessly, and that can't happen. 
He has great players for the system in Battie, Pierce,
and Mercer, but Antoine and Kenny and Potapenko can't
really press.  So we have a starting unit that has to
depend on man to man defense, which isn't so bad,
except that they are (bad.)  Why?  I - Don't - Know!

4.  The overall plan for a young team to grow until it
is dangerous is being threatened by the panic arising
from these losses.  Even Pitino is being sucked into
it, and may well break up the team.  (Personally, I
think trading Kenny for a great defensive guard a la DJ
would go far towards restoring chemistry and defense.) 
Celtics fans, even in bad times, always assumed that
teamwork and effort were their advantages going in, and
that any addition of talent or health would immediately
result in victories over the selfish, talent rich
franchises of the world.  Now we are a selfish, lazy,
talent-rich franchise, and no one seems to know how
that happened.  Even Paul Pierce is slacking off,
traveling, fouling guys, and playing shitty defense. 
It really does seem to be a "disease."

This columnist tends to doubt that this play can stay
the same.  The celtics may well miss the playoffs, but
it is still hard for me to believe that the team still
hasn't gotten the message.  But there are many games
left, and I expect that the celtics will sooner or
later begin to play at least as well as they did
earlier in the season  (.500 ball.)  And I will say
further that I believe in Pitino, and still feel not
only that his coaching is above reproach, but that his
GM moves have all been the smart ones.  Even firing
Eric Williams seems smart, given how selfish and lazy
play seems so contagious now.  But Pitino has to coach
this team -- he has to get them to move the ball, to
deliver it to Potapenko against weaker defenders, to
stop doubling, etc.  Basic stuff like that.  If he
doesn't, he has lost control -- and how could that
happen, given his power within the organization?

Something is going very wrong here.  It has to end
soon.  Doesn't it?  Now get off my dunghill!

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