Re: [Celtic_Pride] The Win

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

At 09:38 2/18/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>
>Does anyone know who Antoine was talking to after the game?  The camera
was lurking 
> behind him as he was holding a set of headphones.  I thought we were
going to get an
> interview, but Tommy and Mike kept talking.  You could hear Antoine
talking trash with
> someone, presumably in the media, saying "I tell you guys every time, I'm
the real deal, I'm the
> real deal".  

Peter May? Bob Ryan? Oh, wait a minute, they weren't there...Well, he IS
the real deal, rough edges and all. In how many games now has he hit
big-time shots to give his team the opportunity to win? 

Anyway, we got outshot from the field (47 to 40%) and the FT line (71-62%),
outrebounded (42-38), out-assisted (24-18), and out-blocked (4-2), and
still won. On the plus side, we did shoot a lot better from the 3, had more
steals (6-3), and fewer turnovers (10-13). 

When I saw Mike "Cheater" Mathis as part of the ref crew at the start of
the game, I thought to myself, "that's it, game over". But the refs for
some reason decided to favor us, and thus gave us a chance to win. I don't
know if it was Antoine's not whining last night (although he had little
reason to), or our very underdog status in this game, that predisposed the
refs to calling every little foul on the Blazers, and giving us the benefit
of the doubt. 

I thought Kenny played pretty well last night, making a few sharp passes
inside. There was a funny (I guess) incident later in the game that showed
a glimpse of why Kenny might be so reluctant to run. The C's were starting
a  fast break, Kenny with the ball on the opposite side of the court from
the bench. He then slows down and TURNS his head to the bench to see if the
coach approves of the fast break or not. Tommy and (he said) Obie were
simultaneously screaming, "RUN, RUN!" so Kenny accelerated again, but the
Portland players were already back by that time.  

Miracle Milt, on the other hand, has no such qualms, and he just takes it
to the hoop like there were no defenders between him and the basket. This
kid needs to signed beyond this season and developed. Eventuallly he could
be a  Wesley/Snow type player for us, only bigger.  

Vitaly continues to play well under Obie. Remember him at the beginning of
the season? He looked like he couldn't play in the fourth division in the
Ukraine. It's amazing what having a defined role,  a dose of encouragement,
and playing within your limitations can do for a player. 

Anyway, for some reason I hope that the Utah game can be had, because of
the matchups. Heck, we beat them there even under Pitino. But Utah will
have taken notice of the dispatching of Seattle and Portland, and will be
ready. It'll depend on the refs, and on whether Pierce has an "on" game
after a string of so-so performances.  Hey, we have a real team to watch
play games that matter again!
Kestas