astute analysis by BSG, addressing Mark's point

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

Unfortunately, O'Brien simplified the offense so much (and yes, it was
necessary) that teams finally figured out what the Celtics are doing
offensively. Portland and Utah exposed how to stop the Celts... and it's
very simple:

-A. Put a bigger body on Pierce (like Detlef Schrempf or Donyell Marshall in
the past two games) so he can't sneak down low (for quick post-ups on
over-the-top entry passes from Walker). 

-B. Double-team Pierce whenever he's facing the basket. Don't worry about
letting Williams, Stith, Anderson and Palacio shoot open jumpers because
they usually won't make them.

-C. Bring Potapenko/Blount's man over to double-team Walker every time he
drives to the basket (that's why Twan has been shooting so many threes
lately). [italics mine]

-D. Make Pierce and Walker work defensively, post them up and try to get
them in foul trouble.

Looks pretty simple on paper -- shackle the big guns and make the supporting
cast beat you. How can O'Brien counter it? Without a third scoring option,
his hands are tied; all he can do is emphasize defense and pushing the ball
upcourt on fast breaks. But if the C's keep doing those things and somehow
keep getting 50-55 a night from Walker and Pierce, they'll be okay. Whatever
happens this week, they still surpassed that initial "Thriving with the new
coach" stage by surprising Portland and Seattle last week -- two quality
wins by a team that's playing defense as well as any Celtics team since the
'93 group.