Re: Celtics Article from Sporting News

["John Lyell" <johnlyell@hotmail.com>]

We aren't going anywhere so personally I would I would like to see us at
least end up in the top 10 as far as the draft. 3 picks in the 16-25 range
probably will not help much if we keep them all which I think is doubtful.
Any news on how  Sesar is doing and if he will be here next year ?


John




----- Original Message -----
From: "Jaime Castillo, Jr." <jaims@info.com.ph>
To: <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2001 8:31 PM
Subject: Celtics Article from Sporting News


> Sorry guys, if this was already posted.
>
>
> A Celtics playoff berth will be good for the NBA
> By Dave D'Alessandro - The Sporting News
>
> For so long, the Celtics' system invoked that ancient joke, the one in
which
> a guy asks his dumb friend to tell him whether the directional signal on
his
> car is working. "It's working," the friend says. "It's not working, it's
> working, it's not working ..."
> That's the way we Pitino Apologists saw it, anyway. For years, we harbored
> these earnestly stupid feelings that the Celtics would turn it around
> someday, that ultimately they would all get a clue and that Rick Pitino
> would have the last laugh because, frankly, he still is the best coach
> outside of Miami. Now we all know it couldn't happen that way, that Pitino
> had to fire himself for the Celtics to find some answers and reach their
> true potential.
> And now their destiny is (file this under Things We Thought We'd Never
Say)
> the postseason. Boston back in the playoffs? Ponder that for a while as we
> emerge from the midseason silence, and you almost could hear the entire
> basketball world creak on its axis.
> Last weekend, the Celtics were in the midst of a crucial seven-game road
> trip. It began with a hiccup in Vancouver, a devastating rout of Seattle
in
> which they were up by 29 after only 16 minutes, and an astonishing,
> coming-of-age gut check last Saturday at Portland. They still might stub
> their toe before the trip concludes Friday in San Antonio, but what we
have
> witnessed over the past five weeks is a basketball metamorphosis.
> Through last Saturday, they had won 12 of their first 18 (including eight
of
> their last 10) under Jim O'Brien, whose influence is subtle yet profound.
> Whereas his predecessor was dashing and charismatic and loud and arrogant,
> this is Just Plain Jim -- a loyal lieutenant and (mostly) a career
assistant
> who has done nothing more dramatic than shorten the rotation and get them
to
> shave four percentage points off their field-goal defense.
> To understand where he is coming from and what kind of guy he is, he made
it
> clear after coaching his first game: "I've got news for you," he said. "I
> had a big part in us being 12-22 (under Pitino)."
> Not surprisingly, O'Brien has deflected the credit for the astonishing
> transformation that has taken place. Maybe he should. Maybe his greatest
> quality is that he isn't Pitino.
> We'll spare you all the quotes about how the new guy is better than the
old
> guy because the new guy doesn't scream as much ("Coach O'Brien is very
> positive, so the players are positive," Antoine Walker says. "I think
Coach
> Pitino kept a lot of negativity" and blah-blah-blah ...). You always hear
> that.
> In Walker's case, however, the benefits of change are irrefutable. Keep in
> mind this is an offensive marvel -- with more dimensions to his talent
than
> perhaps any forward in the league. Under Pitino, there never was anything
> resembling logic to Walker's game. Now he has turned into the human
> triple-double, which everyone knew he could be. More important, he looks
as
> though he actually can concentrate better and make more plays -- smarter
> plays, especially at the end of a game -- now that the head coach isn't
> stomping his foot or screaming at Walter McCarty to report to the scorer's
> table.
> Pitino drafted Walker, branded him a star before his time, gave him the
keys
> to the company car and then yanked away the steering wheel at every
> opportunity. O'Brien has told Walker it's his vehicle now, it's up to him
to
> be responsible, and he'll be in the back seat whenever Walker needs
> directions.
> But Walker is not the only one to benefit from change. Paul Pierce's
scoring
> average has jumped 3 points. His rebounds and steals are up, too. Eric
> Williams has been given the coach's blessing to speak up more, and the
team
> has embraced him as its locker room leader. Kenny Anderson and Randy Brown
> are back after three months of misadventures at the point. By the end of
> this trip, Tony Battie -- Boston's only shot-blocker -- also will return.
> Things are good. A successful trip should give them clear view of sixth
> place in the East by next week. This is no accident. This is a coach
having
> the wisdom to recognize that less is more.
> "I don't buy into the idea that Rick was too intense or too much of an
> identity unto himself for the job here," O'Brien says. "I don't look at
> those things and think, 'Oh, yeah -- he was too big.' That's farfetched.
> Here's how I feel: I thought the Celtics were very fortunate to be able to
> get Rick Pitino to come here and coach them in 1997. I still feel that
way."
> But if O'Brien is as honest as I think he is, he also knows the Celtics
are
> even more fortunate to put Pitino in their rearview mirror. This 12-6 run
> wouldn't have happened if he hadn't fallen on the sword.
> What doth Ricky say? Nothing to the Boston press, whom he has ducked since
> he left town. He did go on some cable interview show to say he felt like a
> "wounded tiger" and that "Antoine needed to hear a different voice."
> Curiously, the scribes in Boston resisted the cheap shots. There was
hardly
> any response to Pitino's largely gracious exit speech. One is no longer
> necessary. Everyone has moved on. The players don't even want to hear his
> name anymore.
> Even if you hate the Celtics, it is a great thing for the NBA to have them
> rejoin the postseason party. At this point, there only should be
> gratitude -- even for Rick Pitino, who got out in time to save a season.
>
>