random thoughts

[Kestas <Kestutis.Kveraga@dartmouth.edu>]

So, has Pierce been figured out, is he in a slump, tired, or all of the
above? The foul thing would indicate that he's just exhausted from
carrrying the team for so long, but I think they're also defending him
better. 

Last night's game had an "L" written all over it, if not for some
fortuitous shooting by Eric and Herren. 

After a string of Mark Blount-like rebounding performances, Antoine finally
remembered that he can, and should, rebound the ball. He would've had
another triple-double, if not for some missed bunnies by his teammates. 

Speaking of missed bunnies, Pot probably  makes that foul-line J of his 19
out of 20 times in practice, and 15 out of 20 times in games outside of
crunch time. But when he absolutely HAS to make it, like in the last minute
of the game last night, he's lucky to draw iron.   On the other hand,
Herren's been clanging those treys all season, but swished them when it
really mattered last night. 

What I like about Palacio is that he doesnt' try to do what he can't. He
knows he's not a great jumpshooter, so he just takes it to the rack for a
layup (I think all 7 of his baskets were layups). He's not a great passer,
so he brings it up and gives it Walker. He's a limited, but efficient
player, and could be a solid backup for years, especially if he ever
develops a reliable jumpshot which with him seems only a matter of
confidence - his shooting technique looks pretty good. 
We need someone like Rip Hamilton for next season. Of course, that need
probably comes after a real PF/C-type and a real PG. 
Do you realize that if you extrapolate Pitino's and O'Brien's coaching
records this season over a full season, Ricky would be on track for 29
wins, and Obie, for 44? And Pitino had the easy part of the schedule... 
Kestas