sometimes I wonder. . .

["Thomas Murphy" <tfmiii@worldnet.att.net>]

Only saw the first 3/8ths of the game due to a taping snafu - curse that
tape delay!

Saw Pierce injured, hope he's all right. I did tape enough to witness
Pitino sub out Potapenko on a "high" after he had scored 7 of our first 13
points and then saw our offense go into hibernation as Charlotte took over
for good. It also seemed as if Twon got a good dose of a PF in his prime on
defense - couldn't budge Coleman.

Is this accurate? Did we really have 6'3" Overton playing SF when Twon,
Fortson, Battie, Potapenko and Ellison were all healthy?? And the Charlotte
frontline was Campbell, Coleman and Mason?!?

SNIP>>They had trouble matching up against the bigger Hornets, made evident
by 16 points from old nemesis Brad Miller. Pitino had no choice but to go
small, admitting, ''It's not a pretty sight.'' He had Doug Overton playing
small forward at one point. Coleman (8 of 11 from the field) killed them
down the stretch. He scored 8 straight points to offset a pair of Fortson
hoops when the Celtics were looking like they might do something.<<
http://www.globe.com/dailyglobe2/023/sports/Stung_and_done+.shtml

Twon shifted to SF - if for only one game and on an emergency basis - would
only have had to guard Anthony Mason, who is himself being phased in at SF
after years at PF. I would think that Twon couldn't do any worse than he
was being mismatched against Coleman or Miller. What did we have to lose?

SNIP>>Anthony Mason is adjusting to small forward, a position he last
played regularly as a New York Knick. Mason said he's dropped a few pounds
to keep up with those sleek small forwards, and it showed. The Celtics'
Walter McCarty looked lost in the snow, scoring six points and grabbing two
rebounds. Mason didn't score much either (seven points), but he did
everything else, finishing with 11 rebounds and eight assists. "It was just
a matter of time,'' Mason said of the big lineup coming together. "I've
lost a lot of weight, I'm getting out and running. I'm running all around
with those (small forwards)." That's just what coach Paul Silas hoped when
he shuffled the starting lineup 11 games into the season. "My big unit is
beginning to learn each other and becoming consistent,'' Silas said. "We're
really productive now in that group."<<
http://www.charlotte.com/observer/sports/docs/hornets0123.htm

Who knows, none of it might have made a difference; it sounds as if
Charlotte was the recipient of what we benefited from the previous night -
a team that coming in after a game and traveling during a snowstorm. But
sometimes I wonder. . .

- Tom Murphy