Pter May's TSN Celtics Report

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

May says the C's are playing better without the two me-firsters....

      Boston Celtics
      Team Report posted MAY 1, 1999      

      By TSN correspondent
      Peter May
      Boston Globe

      It's always interesting to watch how teams perform when their season is 
      over but there's still a lot of games to play. 
      In the case of the Clippers, that, of course, represents an entire season. 
      For the Celtics, they basically have had the month of April knowing there 
      will be no postseason. 
      But Rick Pitino doesn't give up or cave in and won't allow his team to do 
      so either. Case in point: an 11-point victory over the Heat which gave 
      Boston a 3-0 sweep of Miami. Two of the victories were in Miami Arena. 
      The Celtics are playing some of their better basketball now that the 
      season is about to end. Whether that's because they're starting to jell, 
      or realize they can relax and just play, is hard to tell. What looks to be 
      indisputable is that they have become more of a T-E-A-M with injuries to 
      Antoine Walker and Kenny Anderson. 
      The ball is moving more. The shots are getting better. The press is a 
      constant. Some of those things happened occasionally with Walker and 
      Anderson on the floor. A lot of times, neither did. The team isn't 
      suffering in their absence; the Celtics are 4-4 since Walker was hurt and 
      7-5 with Barros starting. 
      Dana Barros has benefited the most from the injuries, taking over the 
      starting point guard position and playing it as well, or better, as 
      Anderson ever has. His play, along with Anderson's weighty contract and 
      public rift with Pitino a month ago, are going to make the coach's summer 
      plans very interesting. Pitino also says he likes rookie Damon Jones, a 
      CBA-er, which also may not bode well for Anderson. 
      Moving Anderson will be hard, maybe impossible. He is not widely coveted 
      and has $31 million coming to him over the next four years. Up to now, 
      Portland has been paying Anderson's freight. That changes next season. 
      Pitino says he has a budget of about $36 million for next season; he's 
      already eclipsed that by 10 percent. The play of Barros, if nothing else, 
      gives Pitino some more options. . . . 
      The Celtics are having a say in the playoff order and possibly even the 
      teams which make the postseason. 
      Their last two games are against the two teams fighting for the last spot: 
      New York and Charlotte. The Hornets game is the season finale at the 
      FleetCenter. 
      The team also plays Milwaukee on Saturday night. The Bucks are not 
      expected to have Glenn Robinson available. . . . 
      Once the season ends, Pitino has ambitious plans for the summer. 
      He wants the players to stick around for two days (Thursday and Friday) to 
      get their summer working regimens from strength and conditioning coach 
      Shaun Brown. He then has blocked off four-day periods in June and July for 
      anyone who wants to show up at the team's new practice facility. Pitino 
      insists it's all voluntary, of course, which it has to be. 
      The Celtics also are planning to participate in two summer leagues, one in 
      Los Angeles and one in Boston. 
      POSITIONAL ANALYSIS 
      Point guard: Dana Barros has been wonderful. He gets the ball up the court 
      much faster than Anderson does, which Pitino likes. He's always been a 
      better shooter. He's more comfortable knowing that he's playing a single 
      backcourt position and it shows. Pistons coach Alvin Gentry thinks Barros 
      is one of the most underrated players in the league. GRADE: A 
      Shooting guard: Ron Mercer has given the team a shot in the arm on offense 
      and defense after missing four games with back spasms. He had a great game 
      against Miami and is playing both ends of the floor. He said he's sorry 
      the season has to end now that he's just starting to feel good. GRADE: A-. 

      Center: Vitaly Potapenko has taken over in the middle and Pitino loves 
      this kid's work ethic. Potapenko plans to stick around over the summer to 
      work on his game and body and that, in Pitino's mind, is a huge plus. He 
      needs to work on his rebounding and ability to hang on to the to ball, but 
      he's got a nice game around the basket. GRADE: B. 
      Power forward: Tony Battie has replaced Walker in the starting lineup and 
      is presenting another dilemma for Pitino. No one calls him El Buston here; 
      he's been a more-than-passable performer and is the team's best 
      shot-blocker. He's even rebounding better now that he's moved from the 
      center spot and has a very reliable face-up shot from 12 feet and in. 
      GRADE: B. 
      Small forward: Paul Pierce has become the Man, at least on offense, in the 
      absences of Walker and Anderson. He had a career-best 31 points against 
      Miami and has been the team's top scorer in most of the games Walker has 
      missed. GRADE: B+. 
      INJURY REPORT 
      Antoine Walker (ankle) and Kenny Anderson (hamstring) are not expected 
      back for the final five days of the season. 
      Greg Minor, meanwhile, cracked a bone in his hip in a fall in Miami and 
      also is out for the year. He was playing very well when he went down. 
      Also out, and on the injured list, are Bruce Bowen (fractured finger), 
      Pervis Ellison (ankle) and Popeye Jones (knee.) Bowen missed the month of 
      April and even if his finger was ready, he isn't in condition to play and 
      likely will also miss the remainder of the season. 
      WHO'S HOT 
      Barros turned in a Player-of-the-Week performance against Washington, 
      Detroit and Miami, going 19 of 26 from the field. He also badgered Tim 
      Hardaway into committing nine turnovers. 
      WHO'S NOT 
      Minor, meanwhile, can't get a break. He was playing the way Pitino wants 
      him to play when he was injured against Miami. 
      STRONG TO THE HOOP 
      Pitino says he likes Anderson as a player and a person, but he has to 
      rigorously explore moving the guard in the wake of Barros' play and the 
      contract realities. He may find it hard to do. 
      Would the Clippers take him? How about the Knicks (unlikely)? 
      Barros plays the way Pitino wants his point guard to play. 
      DIFFERENT GAME 
      The more people get hurt, the better the Celtics play. How's that for a 
      strategy? 
      What's undeniable is that the team is playing more together now that two 
      players generally regarded as me-firsters -- Walker and Anderson -- are 
      out of the lineup. That should tell Pitino a lot. 
      FEARLESS PREDICTION 
      The Celtics will make life interesting for the few hoop fans that remain 
      involved. Take them lightly at your own peril. The Heat did on three 
      occasions and paid for it every time. 


       © 1999 Times Mirror Interzines, a division of Times Mirror 
      Magazines.