Re: First Ex. Game Thoughts

[bird <birdw@aloha.net>]

Joe wrote:

>     FWIW, you obviously can't evaluate a team by its play on the losing
>end of a 30-point blowout. Things just break down.

Absolutely.  If I didn't make that clear enough in my comments, I 
apologize.  It was only one game, the first game at that.  I wasn't 
expecting much, especially after I found out the apparent Pitino plan 
is to only really try to win the second half of the exhibition 
season, gaining the momentum into the regular season (at least that 
was what Heinsohn and Gorman were talking about).  With Pierce, 
Brown, Herren, and even Moiso, this is a very different team.

>This game reminds me of the 1997-98 preseason
>and early season, when we couldn't do anything right in the new system
>and with limited personnel.

Exactly.  I'm thinking this season will look a lot like Pitino's 
first year, too, although I hope we get a better record near the end 
of the season, maybe even pushing us into the playoffs (heaven 
forfend).  The team'll create turnovers and give up layups and dunks. 
We'll have the good things about the "Pitino System" and the not-so 
good things.  After the "experiment" in the last year -- for what it 
was worth -- the hybrid Pitino thing is ditched.  Plus, most of the 
guys on the court were new and the guys who knew the system weren't 
getting playing time for the reason above, so of course the team 
looked lousy.  They really did though, look lousy that is.

>If it is taking this long for the in-camp Celtics to
>execute the defense they've been focusing on, then I'm worried that
>Herren and Stith will be too far behind to get into the rotation this
>year.

Better if the rules allowed them to join the team when the deal was 
actually made, instead of this malarkey, but I think they're joining 
the team on or around 16 October, so that's only five days.  Hey, 
they might even beat Moiso into camp.  I agree that Fortson's 1/3rd 
of a preseason missed dropped him from Pitino's radar somehow, but I 
think part of the whole "trying out guys now, winning later" approach 
is because we don't have the team we're going into battle with later. 
Could be wrong, though.

>and I just wish Pitino
>were a coach that demanded more efficient and constant lowpost offense
>rather than perimeter chuck&duck.

Yeah, well, so do I.  I also wish he'd concentrate on man-to-man 
defense instead of this complex "switching and ditching" we've got 
going now.  But I also think that many systems don't work unless you 
almost completely buy into them, so maybe the throwback idea isn't so 
bad.  Maybe Pitino can't coach that hybrid system as well, anyway. 
We'll see if his all-out headless chicken defense and monkey break 
offense approach works this year.  A breakout year by one or three of 
our nucleus of players wouldn't hurt either, as long as I'm wishing.

Regards,

Bill