RE: Pitino's style

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

Alex,

I feel exactly the same way.   But the reason Pitino
ran into that trouble in the 2nd season was that the 
thin, fast big men who work in that system were getting
destroyed on defense by bigger and burlier low-post 
players -- not just Karl Malone but Larry Johnson,
Terry Cummings, whoever.  And of course the press
was getting beat fairly often -- who can forget the horrible
layup drills we had to watch that year?  I don't understand
the Xs and Os of the press well enough to analyze why it
failed, but I suspect that it had less to do with the press per
se then the athletes who were executing it.  Maybe having
fast, big athletes like Moiso, Battie, and Blount, who can play
the back of the press and discourage layups, will make the 
difference.  But if we press all the time, what do we do with
Vitaly?  I think there has to be a certain amount of man to man,
especially with your big beef-barons, who, once the press has
been broken (and it is broken most of the time, even when it is
most effective) would throw the thin men around like so many
rodeo clowns.  

One great thing about the press:  it really hides Antoine's weaknesses as a
defender, and highlights his defensive strengths -- his anticipation, his
hands, and most of all his aggressiveness.  

Let's start the season now!  Even if we lose I will be glad to watch
Pitinoball again.  

Josh Ozersky	
Marketing Communications Specialist 
Corning Museum of Glass

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Alex Wang [SMTP:awang@mit.edu]
> Sent:	Thursday, August 24, 2000 4:07 PM
> To:	celtics@igtc.com
> Subject:	Pitino's style
> 
> I've been thinking about how Pitino has fluctuated from wanting
> an athletic, running, pressing team to wanting a tough, halfcourt,
> man-to-man team, and now back again to an athletic team. I think
> there are a few major influencess that explain this: his college
> teams, his previous pro experience with the Knicks, and the success
> of Pat Riley.
> 
> In college he's always relied on his trademark style and achieved
> great success. In his early years he takes existing players and
> coaches them to success beyond what their prior records would
> indicate was possible. He follows that by recruiting more talented,
> athletic players that fit his system.
> 
> His experience with the Knicks was somewhat different. He made
> an adjustment between his first and second year, reducing the
> amount of pressing, which coincided with a big increase in
> victories. Also, the trade for Charles Oakley, a tough, defensively
> talented rebounder contributed to his success. Furthermore, he
> achieved with a group of players that were not notably athletic,
> including Mark Jackson. So it was a different formula than his
> college success.
> 
> I think as a result, when he got to the Celtics and coached them
> to a similar first year record and then a relatively unsuccessful
> first half to the lockout season, he decided to go for the Knicks
> approach. He'd try to get his team tougher, press less, and
> play man-to-man defense. He acquired guys like Potapenko and
> Fortson and tried to use the press as an occasional weapon.
> 
> Of course, the result has been ugly. The situation with the Knicks,
> who had a dominant center in Ewing, didn't translate well to the
> Celtics. And Pitino has only a single season of experience playing
> this halfcourt game, when he had that dominant defensive center.
> His whole career has been built using his own system, not his ability
> to coach a halfcourt, man-to-man game. I think he may have been
> influenced by Pat Riley, who Pitino envies because he succeeded 
> using two styles of play. Pitino probably wanted to similarly prove
> himself to be a great coach that could succeed with multiple styles.
> 
> Finally it seems that Pitino has come to the realization that if
> he is going to excel, it is by using the system that he has used
> all his life. Maybe it's from watching Phil Jackson coach the 
> Lakers. He came in and saw the personnel and said, "Hey, I coach
> the triangle offense. I like a big backcourt so I'm going to get
> Harper even though the GM just signed Derek Fisher to a big 
> contract as our point guard. I like a role playing, rebounding
> power forward so I'm going to start A.C. Green." He stuck with
> what he believed in and won with it.
> 
> I don't know whether the "headless chicken" can win in the NBA.
> But I do know that Pitino's a much better "headless chicken" coach
> than he is a "traditional" NBA coach. And if he's going to stay,
> for one year or for the rest of his contract, I'd rather see him
> coach the style that he's always used - full court pressure for
> 48 minutes - with the types of players that he likes, rather than
> try to become something he isn't. Personally, I'm optimistic that
> we're going to see a team that is both entertaining, different,
> and competitive this year. 
> 
> Alex