Some random thoughts

[bird <birdw@teleport.com>]

Some thoughts as I drink coffee and peruse the online papers and such:

After reading about KA will be available day-to-day, I wonder as to 
the sanity of letting the players not tape their ankles.  My 
understanding is, none do, and they typically wear low-top sneakers. 
This just increases the chances of an ankle injury.  I know you lose 
some mobility and flexibility when you tape, but, especially given 
the point guard situation, I'd think the team would require it. 
Maybe the situation in the NBA is such that players don't like to be 
told what to do with their bodies, though.  Still, when I played in 
high school, (Lo, these many moons ago) I taped for every game and 
practice (and believe me, I got in more practices than I did 
games...).

Is it me or does El Greaso look more cadaverous as time goes by?  Not 
that I mind, but Riley is sure letting the skeleton show through the 
skin.  He's kind of got this whole 
undead-stalking-the-earth-eating-brains thing going for him.  Most 
unattractive.  But hey, it's Pat Riley.  Good for him.

I wonder at the transition of power from Il Duce to Obie, and the 
differeneces in result that we'll see.  That the team is watching 
more tape I like quite a bit -- wondering what Pitino did as a 
substitute for watching game tape (anyone who's watched game tape of 
themselves knows how beneficial it can be).  And this quote from 
Coffman's "Celtics Notebook" today was interesting:

>"What we're trying to get Paul and Antoine to understand is that in the fourth
>quarter, the opposition is going to make it very difficult for them 
>to score,'' O'Brien said. ``They're not going to allow them to go 
>one-on-one.
>
>[...]
>
>  ``You have to find a way to disrupt their trapping scheme, so that 
>you don't have a guy trying to go 1-on-5.''

Amen.  This may still not translate into results on the court, and 
I'm pretty sure Pitino told them the same thing, but it's still nice 
to see.  This is what the NBA has become in close fourth quarters, 
though, and certainly the last quarter has been an Achilles' Heel for 
the team.  In a big way.  If they follow this advice, it can only 
help.  Hope Antoine and Paul don't start counting the defenders on 
them, though: "Only three guys guarding me -- take the ball to the 
hoop!"  Ah, well.

Go Celts.  Beat Barney.  Stop the Vinsanity.

Regards,

Bill, Celtic "Tird"