Losing streak

[Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

    Boston are on their first 2-game losing streak since the beginning
of the Obie era, having rebounded from a loss on five straight "gut
check" occasions. In both the Utah and Houston games we were down double
digits at the end of the first period and at halftime, and that is
something Obie needs to try to address and figure out what's going on.

    I actually "predicted" the Portland win, but it is beyond my
imagination that we can win at San Antonio (Walker has been eaten alive
by Duncan in the past).  Dallas (33-21) is playing just .500 ball lately
(9-8) and may offer an upset opportunity, but they've already opened a
can of whupass on us once this season (shooting .514 from the field with
26 assists and just 12 turnovers, behind Sprockets Nowitzki's hot
shooting).

    A 2-7 trip would drop us back to 8 games under .500, and that's a
tough hole to dig out of given how hard the March and April schedule is.
The important thing is to not panic. The Celts are doing as well as
expected on this trip at 2-3, and who in the world anticipated that our
only two beatable opponents Houston (6 of their last 7) and Vancouver (a
5 game winning streak) would be smack in the middle of their hottest
winning streaks of the year? Obie needs to refocus the troops after
these two straight blowouts.

    I don't want to lose all three games in Dubya country, that's for
sure, but this trip has always been a killer for the Boston Celtics. I
remember when we got off to a 4-0 start in Bird's rookie year, they went
to Texas (or maybe it was a home and away) and got whupped twice in a
row (to Houston and San Antonio I believe). But rather than revert to
the previous year's form, they went on to have one of the best records
by the All Star break and Cowens and Tiny made All Star along with the
Bird.

    Personally I link this losing streak to bad karma from the unwanted
return of Michael Holley to the Celtics beat. I felt that Shira Springer
had improved really dramatically in her daily Celts coverage game by
game, and I thought it was ironic and fitting that all these overrated,
self-absorbed old dooshes would abandon the Celts to her just before the
team started this turnaround. But now Springer has seemingly been
demoted and Holley has jumped right back on the Celtics bandwagon. I
must say I really didn't miss reading him, although I'll give him
another chance. I'm telling you though, Springer was getting really good
recently at presenting useful information about our Celtics (she was a
basket case last year, though). I hope she's just on holiday and Holley
is only temping because maybe he has relatives/friends in Texas or
something.

------