Preseason review Boston vs. Charlotte

[snoopy1@pig.net]

First off, we won!!  YAY!!

Now, there were some really good things and some really, really ugly things 
in this game.

The first half was a runaway for the Good Guys as they ran up and down, at 
one point enjoying a 16 point lead well into the 2nd period.  The offense 
was exactly what I, Tom Heinsohn, and a lot of other people wanted--the C's 
ran and got good layup opportunities.  The defense was a little ragged, and 
initially, Paul Pierce looked a little lost out there.  Walker threw a 
FAKE!!  Let me repeat that so you know it's not a typo.

Antoine "just let me drive straight to the basket" Walker used a fake--in 
fact, more than once!!

Eric Williams was the immediate beneficiary of the running game, and looked 
like he really wanted to be there.  I was impressed with several of his moves.

Now, before we get too carried away, the Hornets helped a lot by really bad 
shooting and sloppy defense.  That made the C's look better than they were 
(still pretty good for first preseason game), and probably made them 
overconfident.  They took a double digit lead into halftime.

But...the Hornets opened up the 3rd quarter with a blistering offensive run 
combined with the Celtics' sudden urge to stop running.  When they didn't 
run, or tried a set play, the results were often not nearly as 
positive.  When it became obvious the guys on the floor were not inclined 
(or able, to be fair) to keep running, they were replaced with fresh legs.

The Good Guys then proceeded to roar away again, opening up another lead, 
but this time, Charlotte was shooting much better and their defense was 
better, mainly due to Coleman.  For a time, Charlotte even held the lead 
before Boston got it back.  There were a lot of turnovers, and most from 
Boston were the result of losing the handle on the ball.  They're so intent 
on being fast they got a little careless.  Also, there were a few times I 
thought they were so intend on running back on offense that they forgot to 
play defense first.

On the positive side, it appears they're rediscovering the lost art of the 
outlet pass, which they used to great effect.

The 4th quarter seesawed a bit, but was mostly a replay of the 3rd, with 
Charlotte making little runs, but by this time, Paul Pierce found his 
offense, and they ran well enough to win by 8.

Players that made an impact (on me, if no one else):

Paul Pierce--like I said, had trouble getting it together in the first 
quarter especially, but the team showed no signs of panic, running the 
offense that was specifically intended to take the scoring load off Pierce 
and Walker.  He eventually found his groove.  It was obvious he'd worked 
out over the summer, but I think he needs to sharpen his timing more and 
start handling the ball a little better.

Antoine Walker--he passed, he faked, he created plays for others, he 
(mostly) shot responsibly.  In fact, I only recall one 3 point shot that I 
would have advised against off the top of my head.  If he does this every 
night, he's going to be impossible to defend against for a lot of 
teams.  That, unfortunately, is still the question.  But he made a great 
start tonight, playing very smart.

Eric Williams--He runs, he fakes nicely, and he mostly had very good 
selection.  a lot of outlet passes found their way to him.  If he can do 
this on a consistent basis, the C's can make teams pay if they drop off 
Williams to double Pierce or Walker.

Vitaly Potapenko--he's still a player in a position he wasn't made for, but 
worked hard and made some decent shots.

The Rookies--obviously, they didn't see meaningful time and they're new, 
but they did run and they showed good ball handling skills.  I'd like to 
see more before saying anything more specific.

Jim O'Brien--"ObieWan" (I like that nickname, but then, I'm a Star Wars 
fan) was levelheaded and consistent and you knew he was communicating with 
his players without being obtrusive or belligerent about it.  It was 
obvious from the start he wanted a running team, and for 24 minutes, he got 
it.  Hopefully, the players will continue to listen.

Overall, the offense was good, though it needs some fine tuning--too many 
passes were much too slow and easily readable, resulting in lots of 
turnovers.  They got lucky in that Charlotte failed to capitalize on them 
much, and their own offense stank up the place in the first half.

The defense was not so good.  They need to remember that they can't just 
run, they have to have a destination in mind.  Too many Charlotte players 
worked free from the perimeter, and once they remembered where the basket 
was, did impressive and quick damage.  They have GOT to pick up their 
defensive assignments faster and stay with them.

The ballhandling and transition plays were well intentioned, but often 
without the desired result.  Now, this may simply be due to it being so 
early in the preseason.  Let's see how things shake out over the next few 
games.

And that's the view from the doghouse...

Snoopy the Celtics Beagle