Re: [Celtics' Stuff ``I think one day it could be a Laker-Celtic Finals again,'' -Not this year, Ervin.-Herald

[JB <jbmetzea@yahoo.com>]

on 12/31/01 7:03 AM, JBMetzEA@Yahoo.com at JBMetzEA@Yahoo.com wrote:


Magic takes pride in Pierce
Celtics Notebook/by Steve Bulpett


``I've seen him develop. We've worked out hard a couple of summers together,
and he always was asking me, `What do I have to do to go to the next level,
to take my game to the next level?' I told him at that time that he was just
a jump shooter. He didn't go to the basket hard and he didn't post up. I
told 
him, `You've got to start being strong and you've got to know how to start
getting fouls.' And, man, he worked on it that whole summer.''
With good result. Getting to the line more, Pierce averaged 25.3 points last
season and is averaging 27.3 points this season after scoring 26 points last
night in a 109-94 loss in Sacramento.
``I look up at him now and he's an All-Star,'' Magic said. ``No question.
They cannot deny him this year. He's one of the best players in the game,
and 
he's still a young guy. His upside is very, very high. Also, he can pass and
rebound and do some things that a lot of guys today can't do. Paul Pierce
plays defense - real defense. Normally guys are one-dimensional, but Paul
brings a lot to the table.''


        ***********
   Some interesting residue from the loss to the Kings.
   Magic's adulation of Pierce is well deserved. Paul has worked hard on
rounding his game, but as Lance and other's have posted, his next step and
the one that would mean our team, reaching the elite level, is to use the
new found defensive pressure (stop Pierce with tooth and claw), to create
opportunities for others. I've seen him make some passes into Vitaly lately
and he is looking for ways to get rid of the ball, when his path is blocked,
but I think it's up to O'Brien now, as implied by "J'mori; to waste no time,
don't leave it for another day, to work in some routines, which exploit the
"gauntlet" defenses Pierce is facing.
   I was wondering if Magic could work some Magic on Paul and teach him how
he played, but it's just not Paul's game. He's the scoring machine and one
of the best. We do have a player, though, who fits Ervin's body type and
unselfish mentality and his name is Johnson. It's been a while since a few
of us, who noticed Joe's open floor handles and willingness to find open
team mates, have remarked that of our bunch on the bench, he may be the best
point guard, potential. Wouldn't you love to see Kedrick or Forte, with
Johnson, in the backcourt?
   If, this season, we are not going to spend even one "farthing" to acquire
a post player or upgrade the back up point guard position, since we are
faced with a pretty gritty, but not a championship caliber team, as our
management seems content to wait another year and a half, when some cash
becomes available, to complete the rebuilding process, towards that
championship level, why not take some time for J.J. to learn the point?
   I'm hoping, at least, that the loss to the clearly superior Kings, will
impress the coach that we might be best served, finding out what the
relative strengths of our rookies are, for the remainder of this season,
before we head into another draft and free agent signing. To me, it's
inexcusable that Palacio and Blount were overvalued and signed this summer,
when we had other options, players who are contributing nightly, for the
same money, we paid them. Let's be better prepared this time and perhaps put
a little oil in that creaky offense.
   I also hope that Jimmy read the piece in the Globe, re: Pete Carrill,
"The Man of a Thousand Passes; "waxing nostalgic, over snow and winter
brandy, by the fireplace, in New England. Wouldn't he be the perfect
compliment to our defensive guru, Dick Harter?
   
                 

              JB
                   
     
                   

                           Unchain My Heart!