Re: Sports (NBA) - Pitino gives Beantown an earful after loss -3/2/00

[Jim Hill <jahill@leasingservice.com>]

>Anne stated:
>I don't post often, but I just have to vent.....

>Ya know, Pitino may not be the perfect coach, but let's face it, he has a
>point with his post-game comments.  The city of BOSTON is SPOILED, and they
>are acting just like that, spoiled brats.  No one likes to lose, but when
>you have to pick up the pieces after the death of Len Bias and then Reggie
>Lewis, what do you expect??   I commend him for trying to keep his team
>positive.  They work hard, and it just going to take longer to recover from
>two major fall backs (Bias & Lewis).

>The fans need to act like fans and support this team.   I love the Celtics,
>but I'm embarrassed by their immaturity of the fans when it comes to
>supporting this team (in good times and in bad).  I'm sorry they didn't win
>a championship 3 years after Larry Bird retired.  I'm sorry the Bob Cousy
>era is over.  Let's all support this young team.  It's easy to become
>frustrated if they were not working hard, but I think they are working there
>asses off because Pitino makes them!

Anne, None of my comments are meant personally,  but...

Baloney.  The fans are not acting like spoiled brats.  Certain players are
though.  As is Pitino.  If I hear him state that it's all because he didn't
get Duncan in the draft one more time I'll go crazy.

As much as many people are upset that Walker got boo'd everytime he took ill
advised shots last year, why didn't the coach do something about those
shots?  What about the FT problems he had for the first 3 years?  Do you
think Walker would have worked on that this past year if the fans didn't get
on him?  The Celtics hired an assistant just to help players with their
shooting and Walker didn't even work with him until late in the season last
year after the fans got on him.

The deaths are just another excuse at this point.  I go to many games each
year and watch every one.  The problem is lack of team effort.  Lack of
commitment.  Didn't anyone else see Walker and Anderson LAUGHING on the
bench during the closing minutes of losing games last year?

The fans are not immature (At least not most of them)  They support the
players right up to when they quit and mail in the rest of the game, which
has happened at least 10 games this year and about 25 last year.

When you state they are working hard, that may be for periods of time during
a game, but not throughout the entire game.  Watch who runs full speed up
the court and who doesn't.  Everytime.  Watch who commits a foul on defense
and then find out where the player who was supposed to be defending that
person is.  Trailing the pack.  You think this team has so many fast break
points and lay ups scored against them because the players are "working
their asses off"?  Come on.

Plus Pitino isn't "making" them do anything.  He doesn't have the authority
to make player do anything they don't want to.  It shows in their
conditioning.

Last nights game was well played.  They lost.  I don't have a problem with
last night.  VP missed some FT's, after spending 5 hrs. in the dentist chair
the day before who can blame him.  At least he went out and fought the
battle.  Monday night they were terrible, a disgrace.

Pitino was venting at the fan's because he need's to somehow pull this
"sinking ship" together.  It hasn't worked dumping on the players as he has
the last couple years.  Now it's time to take a different tack and motivate
the team with "Let's show them".  If it work's I'm fine with it.

Let's see them come into camp in basketball shape next year.  That's where
"working their asses off" starts.  Not half way through the season.
<Jim