Pitino Said An Interesting Thing

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

Perhaps the usual Pitino-speak, but from today's Boston Globe
article: "We might be able to get lucky and get a center in the 
draft."  If they finish in the lottery, they'll have a chance at
selecting one, or they could trade up in the draft. But a center
seems like a top priority....
                                        
                                [The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
                                [Boston Globe Online / Sports]


                                Celtics' central flaw is exposed

                                By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff, 10/26/99

                                BILOXI, Miss. -    
                                        In the final
                                minutes of the Celtics
                                105-99 exhibition loss 
                                to Atlanta last night,
                                a fan advised coach      
                                Rick Pitino that his  
                                team ''needs a        
                                center.''            
                                                       
                                Pitino replied, ''I'll
                                see if Shaq wants to  
                                come to us.''         

                                Indeed, the Celtics struggled to contend
                                inside with the Dikembe Mutombo-led Hawks.
                                They were outrebounded, 61-39, and Mutombo
                                grew either so confident or bored that in
                                the second half he punctuated each blocked
                                shot by waving an admonishing finger at
                                the crowd of 6,154 in Gulf Coast Coliseum.

                                ''What are there, only six legitimate
                                centers in the league?'' Pitino said after
                                the game. ''We might be able to get lucky
                                and get a center in the draft.

                                ''But Atlanta is one of the best
                                rebounding teams in the league. When Danny
                                Fortson was playing, we were dominating
                                teams on the boards. Now, if we can
                                improve our rebounding in his absence,
                                we'll be that much better.''

                                The Celtics did disrupt the Hawks enough
                                to rally within 3 points in the final
                                seconds with their trapping defense.

                                ''That was as much hustle as you are going
                                to get a professional team to do,'' Pitino
                                said. ''They were hustling, diving for
                                balls.''

                                The Celtics trailed, 93-79, before Kenny
                                Anderson's 3-point play ignited a final
                                rally with 3:56 remaining. Anderson
                                continued to choreograph the comeback,
                                combining well with Paul Pierce and Vitaly
                                Potapenko as the Celtics scrambled into
                                contention. An Antoine Walker 3-pointer
                                cut the deficit to 102-99 with 14 seconds
                                remaining, but Atlanta preserved its
                                advantage on foul shots by Jason Terry and
                                Anthony Johnson.

                                ''[Anderson] has been playing great,''
                                Pitino said. ''He came into camp in great
                                shape and he's been brilliant. He is
                                motivated to win and to show he's not
                                brittle.

                                ''I've had some say in his career because
                                I knew the New Jersey owners when they
                                drafted him, and at that time he didn't
                                play too much defense. Now, he's totally
                                committed to the system and to defense.
                                He's got four or five great years left and
                                he knows what not to do.''

                                Wayne Turner missed his second successive
                                game with bursitis in his elbow and is
                                questionable for tomorrow against
                                Washington at the FleetCenter ... Former
                                Celtics scout Forddy Anderson died in
                                Oklahoma City following a long illness.

                                This story ran on page C07 of the Boston
                                Globe on 10/26/99.
                                © Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.