Thoughts on Knicks/Sixers games (long)

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

I was discouraged Friday night. That's a game the Celtics have to win.
They're playing at home, the Knicks are without Sprewell, and Walker and
Pierce combine for 60 points. And they lost. I really was questioning just
how good this team is. 

I felt better after the Philly game. I agree with everyone who was upset
with the officiating. The frustrating thing is that was a game the Celts
deserved to win. They played harder and better than the Sixers (except for
that brief stretch in the second half when they looked like the Washington
Generals). They came out aggressively, defended well, and executed pretty
well offensively against one of the best defensive teams in the league. They
deserved to win.

I've thought about things since, and while there are arguments both ways, my
optimism about this team is fading.

They're 2-4 with three 2-point losses. The optimists among us see a team
close to winning. I hope that's true. But the NBA is a league of two-point
games. Good teams win them, bad teams don't. You watch games around the
league and 90 percent of them are in doubt with five minutes to go. Good
teams finish the job. Bad teams don't. Right now, the Celtics fall in the
latter category.

Why? They have two talented scorers, but they don't have a go-to guy. A
go-to guy gets the ball over and over down the stretch and either scores,
gets fouled, or creates an opportunity for another player. Walker and Pierce
try, but they aren't that kind of player yet. Pierce is being more
aggressive this year, which is great to see, but his next pass will be his
first. When he learns how to pass when the shot isn't there, the team will
improve. Walker just isn't playing as well as he did in the preseason. He's
forcing things, rather than letting it happen. That 18-foot jumper he used
so well in the preseason shows up just once a game. And late in the game,
he's firing up quick shots instead of smart shots. There was a lot of debate
on this list when Allan Houston's name came up in trade talk during the
offseason, but I think we all saw the difference between Houston and our
"stars" Friday night. Houston is a legit go-to guy down the stretch. He can
get a shot almost any time he wants. And when he gets it, he usually makes
it.

The front line remains one of the worst in the league. Tony Battie has been
at his best so far this season, but comparisons to Camby based on body type
aren't fair to Camby. Batgirl never has had the impact on a game that Camby
had on the game Friday night. And Potapenko is what he is. Why Blount
doesn't see the light of day is a mystery to me.

On an optimistic note: I liked most of what I saw from Herren Saturday. He
needs to be more assertive when teams turn up the pressure instead of
deferring to less skilled ballhandlers, but that can be corrected. He will
shoot better, and when he does, it will open things up for others. The team
was as energized as I can ever remember it being in the second half of a
back-to-back. I think Herren brought some of that. I, for one, do not miss
Kenny Anderson at all. It's easy to say "Kenny's out and we lost three
straight..." but his absence certainly wasn't the reason.

Summarizing, I'm beginning to see this as a really flawed team that will
show flashes, but for the most part will remain in that 35-39-win area when
all is said and done. I hope I'm wrong, as I often am. But I think it's more
likely that this team gets discouraged by all the tough losses, quits on
Pitino, who turns one eye toward the job listings by midseason. If that
happens, it could turn ugly, because this team needs absolute effort to win.

Sorry for the long post. Two tough games over the weekend really got me
thinking.

Mark