C's fail at Vitaly important task

[kevin lok <kevin.lok@lycosmail.com>]

We need rebounds? Why doesn't Pitino play Fortson more in this game?


> C's fail at Vitaly important task
> by Mark Cofman
> Monday, February 7, 2000
> Vitaly Potapenko enjoyed one of his better offensive games of the season last
> night at the FleetCenter, collecting 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting. But the
> Celtics center paid far more attention to another column on the stat sheet
> following his team's 100-94 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
> Rebounds.
> Potapenko managed just three rebounds in 24 minutes, symbolic of a highly
> physical game in which the Celtics were outmuscled on the glass. They lost
> the battle of the boards to the Trail Blazers, 42-37. Of even greater
> significance, 17 of Portland's rebounds were at the offensive end.
> That, Potapenko believed, was the difference in the game.
> ``You just cannot give up 17 offensive rebounds in a game,'' said Potapenko,
> aware the Celtics had allowed a road-weary team to outhustle them on the
> inside. ``Portland is a big, strong team with a lot of experience, but it was
> like we allowed them to take advantage of us.
> ``In the second half we tried to play their style of game, and that made us
> more vulnerable on defense (under the boards). We needed to play the same way
> we had played in the first half. We were much more aggressive.''
> The Celtics had just a 45-42 lead at the break, but they were more than
> holding their own on the glass, outrebounding the Blazers, 24-23.
> Potapenko, with just one rebound in eight first-half minutes, envisioned
> better times ahead in the second half. For himself, and the team.
> ``We knew they were going to try to pound it inside, so it wasn't like we
> were unprepared for what was coming,'' said Potapenko, who had registered a
> season-high 12 rebounds in back-to-back games last week against Phoenix and
> Indiana.
> ``We knew what we had to do. We just didn't do it.''
> Said Celtics coach Rick Pitino: ``When you play a team like Portland you have
> to win the rebound area and you have to win the steal area. If you don't win
> those two areas . . .
> ``There were just too many times we had three white jerseys battling one
> black jersey and somehow they would come up with the rebound and get the
> bucket. They dominated us on the glass. You can't give up 17 rebounds.''
> The Celtics did, and it cost them a winnable game. It was a game Potapenko
> had circled on his calendar, too. He grew up in the Ukraine idolizing
> Portland center Arvydas Sabonis, one of the greatest stars in European
> basketball before he came to the NBA four years ago.
> ``He was the premier player overseas and everyone wanted to grow up to be
> like him,'' said Potapenko, 24 and 11 years younger than Sabonis. ``I knew
> because he's slowed up the last few years, I might be able to get some open
> shots. I did, but I would have liked to have played a better all-around game.
> It would have helped.''
> Said Sabonis: ``He's a good shooter, and physically he's very strong. But as
> a team I think we were able to get position on them and come up with some big
> rebounds. That was a big part of why we won the game.''
> He wouldn't get an argument from Potapenko.