RE: thoughts on Grizzlies loss

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

It was amazing to see how we couldn't buy a bucket at the end there.  And
then of course they would run with the rebound... there were so many close
things in this one - the bad calls, the missed layups, the ridiculous
contested threes.  Had the Celts just executed or the Refs been a little
less biased we surely would have won.  Here's my advice for winning against
Seattle:  Don't play Kenny Anderson a single minute.  

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Hironaka [SMTP:j.hironaka@unesco.org]
	Sent:	Wednesday, February 14, 2001 10:31 AM
	To:	OzerskyJA; celtics@igtc.com
	Subject:	Re: thoughts on Grizzlies loss

	OzerskyJA wrote:

	> No, I don't think it's a must win.  We can get win any two games
on this
	> trip, though I want three and secretly hope for four.  I think the
team may
	> have been a little rusty coming off the all-star break.  We can
lose to
	> Seattle and still be OK.  Let's not torture ourselves.

	    I agree. The Celtics should not lose perspective or put too much
do-or-die
	pressure on themselves. A breakeven .500 overall record spread over
the final 32
	games of the season adds up to 38 wins, a number which I believe
O'Brien or
	Pitino had said might be enough for a playoff seed this year. It
goes to show
	you how in the NBA, one hot stretch and par or even sub-par play for
the vast
	bulk of the season can be enough to get you into the playoffs.

	    Having said that, I agree with Mark that the Seattle game is a
biggie, and
	that we'll need to steal a tough underdog win like that even to get
the minimum
	two wins from this trip. Two wins keeps us from going ten games
under .500.

	    Last night demonstrates just how average our team depth is after
the two
	captains. Eric Williams deserves praise lately, but his 1-10
shooting further
	suggests that his All Star break and off-season priorities are not
at all where
	they should be as a professional. I harp on this too much, I know,
but I find it
	amazing he would publically boast of not picking up a ball or
working out even
	once all last summer in order to focus on his charities. Does that
have anything
	to do with his .342FG% so far this year? Of course it does. What a
doosh. Not to
	put it all on EW, but geez I wish he had shot 2-10 instead of a 1-10
and we
	escaped with the only sure win of the trip.  The Celts as a team
blew a solid
	lead in the last few minutes, but it never should have gotten to
that point in
	the first place IMO.

	---------------