Way of the May!-Globe.

[JB <jbmetzea@yahoo.com>]

ON BASKETBALL
Some puzzling pieces
What to make of NBA picture
By Peter May, 11/13/2001
We're two weeks into the 2001-02 NBA season and already we're seeing some
strange things. OK, the Lakers are undefeated and the Grizzlies are winless
and the Bulls are in disarray.
But for sheer craziness, one only has to look at the topsy-turvy Eastern
Conference. The Nets are up, the Sixers are down, the Knicks are fussing,
the Heat are off, the Hawks are a M*A*S*H unit, the Pacers and Bucks are
moving right along, the Pistons have surprised, and the Celtics are right
where they want to be.
There is one common thread to much of the early-season madness: lineup
changes. Because of injuries (New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta) or new faces
(Miami, New Jersey), a lot of teams are either waiting for important people
to come back or working hard to integrate new people into the mix.
As a result, we have an Atlantic Division with the 5-1 Nets (best start in
franchise history) on the top followed by the Celtics (4-2). They were the
sixth- and fifth-best teams in the division last year. The top three
finishers last season - Philadelphia, Miami, and New York - are a combined
5-14, with the Sixers 1-5 (although 1-0 AA, After Allen).
In the Central Division, the Pacers, with a rookie starting at point guard,
are four games over .500 for the first time since Larry Bird retired to play
golf and plant bulbs. The Pistons, under new coach Rick Carlisle, are 4-2
while Milwaukee, still trying to incorporate Anthony Mason into the mix, is
4-1. However, one of the chic picks to make a big leap this season, Atlanta,
is 1-6 after a brutal opening schedule (five road games) combined with a
diabolical run of injuries to Theo Ratliff, Jason Terry, Toni Kukoc, and
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, only their four best players.
Then we have the Celtics, who are in a blissful schedule stretch. They have
three games in 13 days, two at home. In all three games, they will be
playing a team that played the night before while they had a minimum of two
days prep time. Not only have they been healthy, but they've also not had to
make any substantive personnel changes because of injuries or turnover.
If luck is the residue of design, consider the Celtics deliberately lucky.
They made only cosmetic changes to their team. The only newcomers at present
who see any meaningful time are rookie Joe Johnson and Erick Strickland. The
rest of the lads were all here last year - although some for only short
periods of time - and, unlike last year, most everyone is healthy.
At this time last year, Kenny Anderson already had broken his jaw, forcing
Randy Brown into playing minutes he did not anticipate. Brown soon hurt his
groin - again. The point guard situation was in flux all year, but Anderson
is healthy and playing well. Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker are both
healthy. There are three healthy big men in the middle. Eric Williams has
been sidelined, but all that's meant is more time for Johnson, who looks as
though he might have a future in the league.
''The health issue is a big deal,'' agreed general manager Chris Wallace.
''We've been lucky in that regard.''
The other healthy team in the division is one with a history of broken bones
and twisted limbs: the Nets. But Jersey has been rejuvenated by the arrival
of Jason Kidd and can legitimately point to being improved at all five
starting positions. Even better: No one, as of yet, has torn or dislocated
anything.
''I'm very impressed with the Nets,'' Wallace said. ''Jason Kidd may be the
acquisition of the year if he keeps this up, and there's no reason to think
he won't based on what he's done before. And you can usually count on [Todd]
MacCullough doing something out there.''
The crowds certainly haven't embraced the Nets - yet. A shade more than
5,500 attended their victory over Cleveland last weekend. Then again, the
Knicks list regular sellouts at Madison Square Garden and they just got
hammered at home by Golden State. They've also lost eight straight road
games, including four this season.
The 2-5 Knicks are still wondering when Marcus Camby will play. Based on
what they have done without Camby, he might rate as an MVP candidate if he
comes back and the team responds. He's the only player of size on one of the
smallest, oldest, and unathletic teams in a league that still prizes size
and is getting younger and more athletic every year.
Philadelphia opened with five straight losses, then got Allen Iverson back
for Saturday night's game in Dallas and beat the Mavericks. The Sixers still
have to integrate Derrick Coleman into the mix, but they might have survived
the worst. The Heat, meanwhile, lost, 90-75, at home to Sacramento and coach
Pat Riley called the whole thing ''absolutely horrendous.'' They are 2-4 and
already have had health problems with Alonzo Mourning (missed two games with
food poisoning) and new starter Kendall Gill (broken finger). They also have
a work-in-progress at point guard after five years of relative comfort with
Tim Hardaway.
Miami is an interesting study. Already, three ex-Heat players have publicly
torn into Riley for his controlling ways. Funny, you didn't hear that from
them when they were winning four straight Atlantic Division titles. But
you're hearing it now that the players have left and the team is struggling.
Then again, we should note, it's only mid-November.
Last year, the Heat lost 10 of their first 16 and yet managed to win 50
games. The Bucks lost nine of 12 and went to the conference finals. The
Pacers were still seven games under .500 at the end of March when they beat
the Celtics in Boston in that memorable game that basically ended the race
for No. 8. The Lakers, of course, made a mockery of the regular season.
In other words, enjoy it while it lasts.
This story ran on page E3 of the Boston Globe on 11/13/2001.
) Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.