Celtics notes for the upcoming week

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

The next five opponents for the Celtics are Detroit, New York, Chicago,
Cleveland, and New Jersey, with all but the Chicago game being at home.
I would say that only New York is a formidable opponent, with Cleveland
also being potentially tough since we don't have anyone to really match
up with Shawn Kemp. I would hope for 4-1 for this stretch. The next
games after that are brutal: at Miami; Indiana, San Antonio, and Milwaukee
at home; and at Atlanta to finish the month, followed by Miami at home
to start December. 

Detroit, Chicago and New Jersey are all winless at this point but the
Celtics have to be careful not to underestimate them, especially the
Pistons who are better than their record. I hope that Adrian Griffin
can work his defensive magic on Grant Hill, and the Celtics can continue
to execute offensively against a Detroit defense that has given up 
114 points per game.

Taking a quick look back at the last week:

1. It looks like the Celtics have found a starting unit with good
chemistry, with Anderson, Pierce, and Walker as the scorers, Potapenko
as the inside defender and rebounder, and Griffin as the "chemistry
guy" that holds it all together by doing the little things. Potapenko
has fouled out of two games out of four but is still managing 8 rebounds
per game.

2. How about the play of Kenny Anderson? He's not racking up huge 
assist numbers but he's making good passes in every game and taking
good care of the ball. His assist number may never be that high because
the offense is run through many people, including Griffin, Walker and
even Potapenko at times, but he is picking up the scoring slack of
Mercer, getting to the line at an excellent rate, and shooting a 
high percentage. And when the Celtics are in desperate need of points,
I'd prefer to leave it in the hands on Kenny for a penetration rather
than Walker or Pierce on the perimeter, because he doesn't turn over
the ball.

3. Walker has shot 50% on 2's, 47% on 3's, and 71% on free throws over
the first four games, despite slumping over the past two games. Those
are excellent numbers yet there is still talk of trading Antoine on
this list due to his perceived poor offensive decision making. He 
certainly needs to cut down on turnovers and avoid trying to do it all
himself when the team is not playing well. He also needs to hit the
rebounds a lot harder. I think that he is cheating a bit and releasing
on defensive rebounds in order to beat everyone down the floor, and
I wonder if this is part of Pitino's plan. As a team the Celtics are
outrebounding their opponents both on the offensive and defensive boards
which is certainly a pleasant surprise.

4. Long term thoughts: If the Celtics are still playing well with their
current starting lineup when Fortson returns, does he come off the bench
for the rest of the season, or do the Celtics go with the original plan
of starting Walker next to Forston? The Celtics have an option for next
year for Griffin, and after that I believe they can sign him for the 
"Early Bird" exception (which I don't think changed in the new CBA) for
more than the $2M exception, so I think he'll be a Celtic for a long
time.

5. On the same note, when Forston returns there will be a glut of small
forwards (assuming Antoine moves). Eric Williams is scoring at an
incredibly fast and efficient way and Griffin has clearly earned a spot
in the rotation. McCarty also seems much improved though he hasn't played
that well over the past three games. It seems like that the nice depth
at small forward would be something that some GMs around the league might
be interested in come the trading deadline.

Alex