A letter from Coach Pitino

[jan@netgworld.com]

Every year I recieve a letter from the coach outlining his reasons for the
teams failures and his spin on why I should look forward to the next
campaign. This can only mean one thing: The bill for my season tickets is
in the mail.



Dear Mr. Crocker:



It is difficult to write a letter on why Celtics basketball has such
promise after a season with 35 wins. It has been an up and down year that
was quite a roller coaster ride. However, I am extremely confident that
things will turn around. We have a great product with a bright future.

It is evident that after three seasons we are stuck in the mid-30s in wins.
But with 17 games decided by three points or less, and only coming away
with four of those games as victories, the turn around is not far away. We
have had our share of bad luck-four buzzer beaters and incredible
double-overtime loss, but we also have a solid nucleus and an exciting
brand of basketball. If we can add some athleticism and veteran leadership
to this team, I think our fourth season should be on of great improvement.

We played exciting, winning basketball at home, finishing eleven games
above .500, and the fans at the FleetCenter played a big role in that
effort. It is now time to mature on the road and bring the Celtics one step
closer to playoff basketball. I have had to be much more patient than at
any time in my 26 years of coaching. Having that patience is a necessity
for a turnaround that has fewer peaks and valleys in the future.

As fans you have had to have even greater patience. I want to wish you a
heartfelt thank you for your loyalty and support on behalf of the entire
Celtics organization. We will complete this job together, and the end
result will be very much worth the struggle we have endured.

I look forward to seeing you at the FleetCenter next season and wish you a
great summer.

Sincerely,

Rick Pitino