Celtics column for bskball.com

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

[steve -- use this instead of the earlier version I just sent]

The Celtics, as I take my quill pen in my trembling hand are -- get this --
in 
the playoffs.  Believe it!  If the season ended today, we would have turned
 the corner.  I know, I know, it's a disgrace to make the playoffs at nine 
games under .500, but so what?  Win a game or two against the top seed
 sixers? The Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers?  In Boston for a playoff?  When 
was the last time that happened?  Happy days will truly be here again if we
 can hold on and beat the lousy teams left on the schedule.  We're over the
 worst of it now.  

OK, but what happens if the team doesn't implode, but somehow things 
don't work out and we find that we are missing the playoffs after all?  But
 haven't lost badly enough to move us up into better draft position?  I
think
 it's still safe to say that we will have formed the following legitimate 
conclusions about the Boston Celtics.  And those conclusions should be
 the basis for any organizational decisions made by an incoming GM, 
whether his name is Wayne Embry or Irving the Tailor.  They are as follows:

1) ``Take this down. My name is Shaquille O'Neal, and Paul Pierce is the 
(expletive deleted) truth.  Quote me on that, and don't take nothing out. I 
knew he could play, but I didn't know he could play like this. Paul Pierce
is
 the truth.'' 

2.)  Antoine Walker is now a mature player.  He is pretty much out of 
upside, I would think, but there is no longer any issue of, when will he
grow 
up?  He has grown up.  He's a great player in the league, but probably will 
never be a top-five player.  He makes the same amount of money as a top-
five player, though, and so at some point he may be traded.  Still, the guy
is
 clearly one of the most unique talents in basketball.  In fact, I'm still 
amazed at what a wierd game he has.  Who is anything like Antoine 
Walker?  He's a six-nine Earl Monroe, who can beat anybody of any size to
 a spot under the basket.  He loves to juke and dribble, and can do it
against
 anybody, and yet he's mastered a slow-motion set shot from the three point
 line that is as good as almost anybody you can name.  I mean, think about
 it.  Antoine shot 7-14 three pointers in a recent game, and nobody even 
thought it worthy of mention except as a tskable statistic, suitable for 
wizened critics of threeball.  7-14!  And of course, the best part of his
game
 is his rebounding, which he can kill opponents as well when he puts his 
mind to it.  On the other hand, he's slower than Vitaly Potapenko down the 
floor (he always looks like he's running against the wind) and can't finish 
around the rim hardly at all.  If Antoine Walker could finish around the
rim, 
and didn't have to depend on half-hooks and left-handed rushed layups, he 
would be the most dominant player in baskeball today, far and away.  Of his
 defensive shortcomings, they're exaggerated.  He's not bad defensively; he 
can even make big plays from time to time.  Unless Pierce, though, another
 big-play guy, Antoine doesn't seem to the potential to be a true stopper.  
Pierce could be a bigger, stronger Eddie Jones, and probably will when the
 scar tissue in his chest heals and he starts seriously lifting in the 
offseason.  Antoine's passing is still not where it should be, but I'm 
convinced that we desperately need a second gifted passer, and that the 
synergy from this player will open up Antoine's game a lot.  (It would help
if
 this player could also score; that's why I'm praying to the Weergin for
Jamal
 Tinsley to come our way.)

3)  The celtics are a good road team.  They may lose to bad teams now and
 again at home, but they no longer have to assume that home dominance is 
a necessity to make up for their road woes.  They can play in anybody's 
building.  Period.

4)  The celtics are a good defensive team.  They have actually been winning
most of their games with defense recently, or at least staying in them with 
defense.  The offense struggles, not because the other three guys can't 
make a basket, but because they don't get many shots, and no easy shots
 at all.  A true point guard or passing forward would fix that.  No
disrespect 
to Milt, who is shaping up like a very good two-way combo guard, and who 
remains the only Celtics willing or able to push the ball up the floor.  But

PG's are born, not made.)

5.  The Celtics have got good team chemistry.  Bringing in the veterans 
really did what it was supposed to.  That's why it would be unwise to get
rid
of both Bryant Stith and Randy Brown, although one of the two might have 
to go.  Which brings up another point.

6.  The celtics have to make some hard decisions.  They are on the hook
 with Kenny for a huge sum.  Walter is untradeable.  Moiso has great 
promise and is locked up for chump change.  They are bringing in a free
agent 
and one or two rookies next year, along, one hopes, with the sharpshooting
 Josip Sesar.  That means that they may have to give up on Chris Herren, 
who may have Steve Nash buried inside him somewhere; or Adrian Griffin, 
who was a wonderful glue guy and killer two-way contributor last year; or 
Miracle Milt, who could be an elite backup; or Bryant Stith or Randy Brown, 
the team's best defenders and leaders; or Tony Battie, who was just 
beginning to play well.  No way do they lose Mark Blount, a true shotblocker
 who makes the minimum wage.

5)  They have serious needs that will probably need to be addressed in the
 draft.  Visit back soon for my complete draft preview.