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RE: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V8 #365
-----Original Message-----
From: Celtics-Digest-Owner@igtc.com
[mailto:Celtics-Digest-Owner@igtc.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2001 12:53 AM
To: Celtics-Digest@igtc.com
Subject: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V8 #365
The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest
Wednesday, October 31 2001 Volume 08 : Number 365
In this issue:
Re: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V8 #364
Re: [Celtics' Stuff RE: Erick Strickland info
Prediction: They Should Win 20 Games
Re: [Celtics' Stuff Insider 10/30/01
Re: Erick Strickland info
A good start.
Hat's Off to the Celts
Celtics at Cleveland, or "Ouchie!"
Re: Prediction: They Should Win 20 Games
season opener
nba audio league pass - free this week!!!
Celtics close in on Strickland
Re: first ten games
only negatives
thoughts on the game
Re: Celtics at Cleveland, or "Ouchie!"
Very Few TV Viewers Care About The Celtics
Re: Very Few TV Viewers Care About The Celtics
Thoughts from last night, looking ahead
Re: Thoughts from last night, looking ahead
Wife forgot to pay cable bill. Help a poor fan see the Cleveland
game!
My first trip to the Fleet
Away opener
Question
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 18:47:21 EST
From: Rajesh7403@AOL.com
Subject: Re: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V8 #364
44 wins
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 18:52:59 -0500
From: JB <jbmetzea@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Celtics' Stuff RE: Erick Strickland info
on 10/30/01 2:04 PM, Berry, Mark S at berrym@BATTELLE.ORG wrote:
Do you think they'd be holding onto Milt Palacio? Do you think the Celtics
would be holding onto Kenny Anderson or Randy Brown if they didn't have
guaranteed contracts? The reason some of us like El-Amin is he is a point
guard. He played on the summer league team with the same players as Milt and
that team functioned much better when El-Amin was the point guard. Am I the
only one who remembers this?
The point I'm making is don't just sign another tweener guard who doesn't
bring anything new to this team. Fill that last roster spot with a backup
power forward or a point guard who understands how to play the position.
But I haven't seen enough of Strickland. Gene likes him and thinks he'd be
better right now than Anderson or Palacio. If that's the case, and if the
coaching staff is willing to use him, then I'm willing to give him a chance.
Mark
************
I remember the show at Shaw's well, Mark. The first two games, the
offense was like marching through delta mud. Once El-Amin got to play, the
flow was electric (well almost). Not only did we win a few games, but
particularly the rookies thrived when he was on the court. Even Palacio, who
was pushed over to shooting guard, was revived after two miserable games.
El-Amin was given major minutes, in one game this preseason for Dallas
and scored 23 points. We don't know why the Bulls scrapped him. We can guess
the C's did it over money, and Dallas already is committed to Nash, Hardaway
and Bogues. He looks like a joke. More fire hydrant than John Bagley, even,
but he can lead an offense.
Strickland is the sixth man of my dreams. He shoots the three, makes good
passes, dives for the ball, rebounds, play defense and drives to the hoop.
He was odd man out everywhere he went. He is not a true point guard though
and I would wonder where Forte's minutes would come from if we signed him. I
think it's correct that it would be a waste to sign a player to be 10-12th
man, or even on the disabled list, although I presume Walter has come down
with chronic laryngitis.
JB
Unchain My Heart!
- -----Original Message-----
From: Shawn Niles [mailto:shizzjr@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 1:29 PM
To: berrym@BATTELLE.ORG; j.hironaka@unesco.org; celtics@igtc.com;
celticsstuffgroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Erick Strickland info
We keep hearing El-Amin's name, but doesn't it mean anything to anyone that
he has been cut by at least 3 teams in the last year? He couldn't make it
last year as the 3rd PG on a horrible Bulls team. If he is so good Mark, why
do all these teams keep cutting him?
>From: "Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>
>To: "'j.hironaka@unesco.org'" <j.hironaka@unesco.org>,
>"'celtics@igtc.com'" <celtics@igtc.com>,
>"'celticsstuffgroup@yahoogroups.com'" <celticsstuffgroup@yahoogroups.com>
>Subject: Re: Erick Strickland info
>Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 11:04:13 -0500
>
>I don't want to come off like Ray and just indiscriminately criticize
>everything the Celtics do at this point, but this move, if made, is another
>head-scratcher.
>
>Erick Strickland isn't a bad player. But he's not a point guard. He'd be a
>fine pickup if you didn't have Milt, Randy Brown and Joe Forte, who aren't
>point guards either, also pretending to be point guards. Or Paul Pierce,
>Joe
>Johnson, Forte and Eric "Mr. Defense" Williams playing shooting guard.
>
>I guess my point is this: Use that 15th roster spot for someone who can
>provide something this team lacks. Maybe that's a true point guard like
>El-Amin or Cook. Maybe it's a rebounder (my preference) like Derek Strong.
>Maybe it's a veteran like Derrick McKey.
>
>It's nothing against Strickland. Just explain to me how he helps the team.
>
>Mark
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 18:55:19 -0500
From: Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Prediction: They Should Win 20 Games
Yes, they should. It would help put them in a position to acquire an
impact player
via the draft and break the vicious cycle of mediocrity that currently
imbues the
franchise. But alas, it's not to be.
What they'll do instead is inhabit the not so sweet embrace of their
usual
30 to 40 wins. Backup centers, backup point guards, a power forward
that's
really a small forward, a shooting guard that's really a small forward,
non addition of
quality veterans, a reliance on rookies... the limitations of the team
stretch for miles.
But being ever optimistic, I'll say they finish 61 -19 with two games
postponed,
when they discover Osama Bin Laden hiding out in Tom Heinsohn's giant
beer keg
under the press table.
Ray
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 16:21:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Shailendra Mishra <shailendra_mishra@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Celtics' Stuff Insider 10/30/01
Well, it has always been like that..people are just realising it now. -
Mishra
JB <jbmetzea@yahoo.com> wrote: on 10/30/01 11:55 AM, bdodgers@aol.com at
bdodgers@aol.com wrote:
Grizzlies: The team and Michael Dickerson
are still
talking contract extension. But Dickerson said he won't be jealous of Jason
Williams if he
doesn't get an extension. "He makes the league. He's supposed to [get an
extension]," Dickerson told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "If you're
comparing him with me, it's not even close. His jersey is the second-best
seller in the league. It's not even close. Nobody buys my jersey. He
deserves that [contract]. It's a business."
************************
Wow! What can you say? Denis Rodman knew what he was doing. The NBA has
become more like the WWF than the WWF.
Will the agents now plead their clients cases based on their novelty
sales? The price of their card in the latest Becket's?
JB
Unchain My Heart!
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 11:50:42 +1100
From: W <wwfjericho@iprimus.com.au>
Subject: Re: Erick Strickland info
> I guess my point is this: Use that 15th roster spot for someone who can
> provide something this team lacks. Maybe that's a true point guard like
> El-Amin or Cook. Maybe it's a rebounder (my preference) like Derek Strong.
> Maybe it's a veteran like Derrick McKey.
I think that this team is crying out for a certain guy called The Animal
(Michael Smith). He'd be perfect for this team. Hes used to playing 15-20mpg
and
he still manages to grab 5 or 6 rebounds in that time. Exactly what we need.
W
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 21:59:52 -0500
From: JB <jbmetzea@yahoo.com>
Subject: A good start.
I only saw the first half, but from the looks of the box score, it must
have been garbage time for most of the second half.
The early going was a bit rough. Anderson kept us in it with some great
steals and passes, pushing the ball constantly. Walker just couldn't get a
shot to fall and on another night could have cost us the game. He miss-fired
a few threes and couldn't finish his drives. Cleveland couldn't do much
either and we controlled the boards and were much more effective running.
With a few minutes left in the 1st quarter, Pierce took over and hit five or
six shots in a row and the game was over.
Interesting that Joe Johnson got most of the rookie minutes, not Forte.
Johnson played very well. He was poised and certainly aggressive, taking his
man down low for a few spinning shots. He also skied for a few rebounds.
Kenny Anderson was also all over the boards, hustled and played Andre Miller
very tough.
As the game wore on, Walker seemed to get into a better grove, he hit a
few shots and started to rebound and pass. He finished the half with 16, 8
and 6.
So much for Cleveland. They had no answer for "The Truth."
JB
Unchain My Heart!
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 22:35:48 -0500
From: "Dan Forant" <dforant1@nycap.rr.com>
Subject: Hat's Off to the Celts
Nice game. Saw most of the game. Team and coaching staff look ready. Pierce
and Walker taking off where they left off last season, the leaders. Johnson,
will you call him JJ? 10 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, did we finally get a
good pick?
DanF
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 22:44:35 -0500
From: snoopy1@pig.net
Subject: Celtics at Cleveland, or "Ouchie!"
Here's the world-famous Beagle Broadcaster, high above the parquet tray
table laden with chocolate chip cookies and Pepsi, reporting on the
methodical destruction of the Cleveland Cavaliers by the Boston Celtics.
Cleveland might have done better by sending in the Hong Kong
Cavaliers. (Free cookie to the first person to get the joke)
Remember all those things we hoped the Celtics would do? Running,
transition offense, lots of layups? The 108-89 win was the result of the
Good Guys doing exactly that. The Cavs helped by forgetting how to put the
ball in the hoop in those instances where they actually held onto the ball
long enough to take a shot at the basket. The competitive game ended
halfway through the 1st quarter, when they were tied at 17.
Riddle: What does Cleveland call a 20 point deficit at halftime?
Answer: An improvement over the 33 point deficit after 3 quarters.
It was that fast, that easy. The C's played beautifully for the most part,
the only problem being Walker's continuing insistence on forcing up
three's. They averaged over 30 points a quarter through three quarters,
before formally accepting Cleveland's surrender in the fourth and letting
all three rookies take the floor in the last quarter.
That last quarter became somewhat respectable, as Cleveland scored most of
their points on outside shooting, and the C's stopped running, doubtless
saving themselves for tomorrow night's home opener. The C's revealed their
need to work the rookies into the running game more, since they just didn't
have the same defensive intensity as the starters--but when you start with
a 30+ point lead, it's hard to take defense seriously. Still, it's not
good to foster bad habits.
Pierce found his shot and enjoyed demonstrating it to Cleveland at every
opportunity. Eric Williams gives the C's someone to take the ball upcourt
quickly who actually passes to someone else when appropriate (ahem,
Antoine...).
There was one play that really made it concise--Pierce ripped down a
rebound and heaved the pumpkin the length of the court to have the fast
break running at warp speed.
Cleveland helped by leaving Pierce open under the basket a few times, or
just letting him take outside jumpers, which was apparently fine with Paul.
There's not a whole lot to say--the score was 65-45 at HALFTIME. If you
have to have an away-and-home opener back to back, you can't ask for a
better start.
And that's the view from the doghouse.
Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 22:53:16 -0500
From: snoopy1@pig.net
Subject: Re: Prediction: They Should Win 20 Games
At 06:55 PM 10/30/01 -0500, Way Of The Ray wrote:
>But being ever optimistic, I'll say they finish 61 -19 with two games
>postponed,
>when they discover Osama Bin Laden hiding out in Tom Heinsohn's giant
>beer keg
>under the press table.
>Ray
This may just be the first time someone has predicted more wins than *I*
did!!!!!! :>)
By far, a tremendously positive statement, Ray, congratulations!!
Snoopy the Celtics Beagle--who now has to figure out how to watch the
Celtics, Enterprise, The West Wing and hand out chocolate to the visiting
kids at the same time....eek!
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 23:43:44 -0500
From: Kestas <Kestutis.Kveraga@dartmouth.edu>
Subject: season opener
Could I still change my prediction from 41 wins to, oh... 55 or so? Kidding
aside, this one was all we could expect and more. But we shouldn't get
carried away because of one game against a bad team, even if they blew us
out in Cleveland in the preseason.
Pierce - a superstar performance, aided by an indifferent defense by Murray
and whoever else had the misfortunate of covering Paul. I was surprised
when the box score showed only 5 boards for him, because it seemed like he
had gotten a lot more than that. Perhaps it's because they were all big
boards. He was getting superstar treatment from the refs, who called every
touch on him, and even some imaginary ones.
Walker - had a horrible shooting night, even though he took mostly good
shots. In fact, he shot .500 on threes (4-8), and was 2-12 on layups and
mid-range jumpers. Perhaps he should stick to shooting 3-pointers :)
Anyway, a typical Toine night - poor shooting with good rebounding and
beatiful passing. That was atypical was that he got to the line.
Kenny - a very good game tonight, good passing, running the fast break,
even his defense was good. We've been there before, so I won't hold my
breath hoping this will continue.
Williams - a decent, if statiscally typical, game for him. He showed that
playing him at PF on defense OR offense is pure lunacy - he can't get his
shot off around the rim against big guys, and made Mihm look like Mutombo.
Still, I thought he contributed on D and in drawing fouls.
The Big Guys - Battie and Pot did what they had to do. Blount was typical,
with 2 rebounds in 18 minutes, compared to Tony's 5 in 15, and Pot's 6 in
18.
JJ - looked very good, clearly our 3rd-best player right now. It was
interesting to contrast him with the guy he's supposed to replace - Stith,
whom JJ completely outshone.
Forte - also looked very good, a lot better than his stats might suggest,
and showed some good point guard play. Unlike Billups and other failed
converts to PG, Forte could be a succesful PG in the NBA - he's that smart
and solid fundamentally.
Palacio - was fine, played good D, made 3-pointers when he had to, some
decent passes.
Kedrick - didn't do much.
McCarty - same old Walluh. Is it really necessary to have him bring the
ball up the floor? I know we're up by 30 and it doesn't matter, but it's
just not a pleasant sight.
Overall: it's hard to judge how good the team is, because, once Toine hit
some shots and they went up by 20, everything was clicking. That won't be
the case every night. Still, they rebounded well and ran a lot, which was
nice to see. Let's hope we can similarly disassemble the Nets tomorrow
night.
Kestas
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 15:40:53 +0800
From: kevin <bostonceltics17@yahoo.com>
Subject: nba audio league pass - free this week!!!
hi list
go to nba.com and listen to the games for free this week! I did!
and I heard how during the last min or so of the Cavs game blowout, V
lost the damn ball on the offense and he and Skinner go diving for the
ball, then they call it a jump ball!!! geez, can you imagine? last min
of a blowout and V diving for the ball!!! I like V's hustle and don't
nobody tell me he got no trade value!
kevin lok
48-34
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 17:23:44 +0800
From: kevin <bostonceltics17@yahoo.com>
Subject: Celtics close in on Strickland
i am trying to think of reasons why the C's would be interested in
another 6-5 guard who is suspect on the jumpshot, got limited 3 point
range.
maybe becos Strickland (I've seen him play for the knicks)
is a above average defender,
tough and likes to drive to the hole type
good on help defense,
plays within team concept,
can back up at the point,
I think Strickland can be a 7 or 8 man off the bench for any nba team
but I think we should get a PF backup instead, should wait for Big O2
to be cut.
Let's hope Wallace knows his stuff. Maybe he'll offer a 2 year veteran
minimum with year 2 at team option - in this way, Strickland can be
traded later if the opportunity arises.
yes?
********************************************
Celtics close in on Strickland
Celtics Notebook/by Steve Bulpett
Wednesday, October 31, 2001
CLEVELAND - The Celtics are moving closer to a deal with free agent
guard Erick Strickland, as reported in Tuesday's Herald. Sources said
yesterday they expect the acquisition to be finalized as soon as today
and by the end of the week at the latest.
Strickland, at 6-foot-3, is attractive to the C's because of his
ability to strongly defend both shooting guards and point guards, as
well as his long-range shooting skills.
The five-year NBA veteran, a product of Nebraska, averaged 5.2 points
for the Knicks and Grizzlies last season after his most productive
year (12.8 ppg for Dallas in 1999-00). He opted out of the final year
of his contract after making $2.56 million. He would have made in the
$2.6 million-to-$2.8 million range if he had stuck with the Grizzlies
as they moved to Memphis.
With no big-money takers, Strickland will be looking at something in
the five-year veteran minimum of $653,350 with the Celtics. And unlike
the contract signed by Chris Herren, who was waived by the C's Monday,
Strickland's deal would be fully guaranteed.
Celtics general manager Chris Wallace wouldn't confirm the talks with
Strickland.
``After waiving Chris Herren, we're looking obviously to do something
at that spot - not just do something, but something that makes sense
and could have an impact this season,'' Wallace said. ``So it's
probably unlikely that we would sign a developmental player, someone
we would have to bring along.''
kevin lok
48-34
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 12:08:31 +0100
From: "j.hironaka" <j.hironaka@unesco.org>
Subject: Re: first ten games
At 14:56 30/10/01 -0500, Francis Hsu wrote:
>The first ten games.
>@ Cleveland
>New Jersey
>Chicago
>@ Milwaukee
>Washington
>Seattle
>Indiana
>@ Atlanta
>Atlanta
>Toronto
>
>I think our first 5 are as predictable as can be. @ Milwaukee will be
>tough, being the end of a back-to-back and the 4th game in 5 nights.
>We should win the other 4. Anything less than 4-1 will be disappointing.
>
>Things get more interesting in the next 5 games. We should be able to get
>at least two wins, although I feel like any of those games could go either
>way. At the end, we should be at least 6-4. 7-3 is possible.
>
>Key games:
>@ Cleveland - our opener, beat an inferior team on their home court
>Indiana - must win at home against these guys
>both games vs. Atlanta - keep them from climbing out of the basement
I agree that three of four wins to start the season is key. The Celtics
have to be ready tonight for a Nets team that overcame a 13 point 4Q
deficit and a monster game by Jalen Rose (18-27 shooting, 43 points).
If we can just win the opening four-game "series" (in other words, go 3-1),
I actually think the salient point about the next 6 games is NOT that 5 of
them are home games (which is a big deal for Boston), but more that the
Celtics coaching staff will have at least two nights (sometimes three and
even FOUR nights) to prepare for each game. After the B2B this Saturday at
Milwaukee, the Celtics don't play again until next Wednesday hosting the
Wiz. That's why we need to go all out for the opening two B2B series.
Let's not jump ahead of ourselves, but I think Boston REALLY has to focus
on taking the next two against the Nets and Chicago. These are must wins.
The first team is talented this year, but we tend to whup them. The second
opponent is horrible, but they tend to whup us.
The Nets, like the Celts, had a dream start last night. They got a first
team NBA player to lead them back with a near triple double. But they also
got big games from Kittles, Van Horn and Kenyon Martin. Last year Kittles
missed the season and Van Horn and Martin both broke their freaking legs.
With all three scorers back, the Nets have reason to be confident about
this season as a whole. On top of it, Richard Jefferson showed he could
step up and contribute as a rookie. A best-case scenario for them all in
all.
But a big difference in tonight's B2B is that Toine and Pierce didn't have
to play in the fourth quarter last night. Plus I feel that Boston fans will
make a lot of noise and really support the Celtics in our home opener at
the Fleet Center. Reading yesterday's feel-good columns by Shira and Cofman
etc, I've never felt this much pre-season enthusiasm for the Boston Celtics
in the last two years. We've got a nice young team, with likeable players
and potentially ideal chemistry (they just need a good start to learn how
to win). And apparently the Celts sold a record number of tickets the day
the box office opened, more than the year Pitino was hired.
If we can go 3-1 on these killer B2Bs, this could be the start of a
beautiful new relationship
Go Celts Go!
Joe
SI Scouting report:
Obviously one scout's view can differ completely from anothers', but here's
the SI breakdown on tonight's opponent (in general, Van Horn and Martin are
the type of forwards that Antoine has for breakfast):
- -Marbury's an unbelievable player, but he's only 24, and right now he's
not
as tuned in to involving his teammates and winning games as Kidd is.
- -Kidd is going to help Kenyon Martin , Keith Van Horn and Kerry Kittles be
more creative, but I don't buy into this idea that he's going to turn
Martin into the second coming of Shawn Marion. Kidd's success with Marion
had a lot to do with Marion's explosiveness; I don't think Martin is as
good an athlete. The jury is still out on his jump shot, and he seems in
between positions -- not quick enough to guard small forwards, too small to
handle bigger forwards.
- -Van Horn isn't a true power forward either, so maybe between them they
can
make a decent frontcourt if they can stay healthy.
- -Like a lot of people I questioned the contract the Nets gave Todd
MacCulloch . He was able to score with his back to the basket last year,
but that was because Philly had other guys you had to worry about. I don't
know if he can succeed as your starting center. He's not a big rebounder
and neither is Van Horn, which means other guys -- especially Martin --
will have to help on the boards.
- -Kittles looks like he's recovered from his knee problems. When he's
healthy, he stretches the defense. If he could give them 10 to 15 points a
game, that would be huge.
- -Richard Jefferson is going to be good. He's definitely an NBA athlete.
- -As bad as they were with all their injuries, I never saw them quit, so at
least Byron Scott has got them playing hard."
***
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 20:54:14 -0500
From: Steve and Michelle Ouellette <redsox@westelcom.com>
Subject: only negatives
Great first game for the Celtics. Walker and Pierce were excellent and
Joe Johnson was outstanding off the bench.
The only things that bothered me, and they were extremely minor:
1) Milt Palacio dribbles the ball way too much in the halfcourt. I think
there were at least four times where he held the ball for 20 of the 24
seconds without doing anything with it. It's nice to see Palacio willing
and able to take the outside shot this year though.
2) Why didn't Kedrick Brown get in the game until the final five
minutes? It was a 30-point blowout most of the second half. If he's not
going to get much-needed seasoning in this game, when is he going to
play? He should have gotten all of Walter McCarty's minutes.
Anyway, shouldn't be nitpicking. Here's hoping the Celtics can play like
that every night.
STEVE O
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 22:49:55 -0500
From: Noah Evans <ishbak@forest.STUDENT.cwru.edu>
Subject: thoughts on the game
These are pretty subjective. I haven't looked at any statistics or box
scores. If it's of interest I sat in section 125 row 11.
Wow... I'm not sure if this game was such a blowout because the cavs
suck or because the celts really have improved this much.
Thoughts:
Kenny Anderson is absolutely vital to this team. He may not be
anything special but his handle was under control and he made some
great passes. His shot selection was very good too. The difference
between him and palacio was enormous. Kenny can actually make the
offense work right. There were a couple of breakdowns, but kenny ran
the break well and didn't look for his shot too often.
We had a pretty good post game going tonight, Antoine, Paul and Erik
all had quite a bit of success in the post. Paul's turnaround was
unstoppable, I can't count how many times he just turned and fired
- ---no fakes at all--- and made the shot perfectly. His drives were
great too.
Antoine's post game is pretty good(at least against cleveland) he spun
around his man pretty easily most of the time and he did a pretty good
job of getting to the line. A couple of shots after the spin were
forces/blocked but he seemed really under control.
Erik's post game seemed great too, it looked like Cleveland was trying
to guard him with a shooting guard and Erik just destroyed the unlucky
defender with spin moves and layups. He didn't seem to convert much
but he got to the line or got his own rebound on most of them.
Antoine's threes seemed to be on too. How many did he hit? 4? The one
he hit as the buzzer ran out was superb. Pierce didn't seem to be
hitting from the outside but his posting and drives more than made up
for it.
Another note on Antoine during the first couple of plays of the game
Antoine seemed to be able to drive at will in transition. He didn't
hit all of the layups but he at least got the line on most of them.
Andre Miller and Michael Doleac were horrible. Almost every time
Miller would drive into traffic, get trapped, pick up the ball, pump
fake a bunch of times and make a difficult pass or bad shot. As far as
actual point guard play goes Kenny destroyed him as far as I'm
concerned.
Speaking of horrible, I really hope Kenny doesn't get hurt. Palacio's
shot is really good, but he's a horrible point guard. The offense is
much more fluid with kenny in the game.
Johnson was really smooth offensively and got a couple of rebounds
that I noticed. His outside shot is terrible though. He airballed an
open three in the beginning. He had some great moves close to the
basket though.
Potapenko and Battie did fine by me. Pot's battles very hard under the
boards and I think he frees up a lot of other celtics to get rebounds
by occupying the other center. By wrestling with the other teams
rebounders it seems like pots prevents both him and the other center
from having a chance at the board. The ball seems to roll away to a
point where someone like kenny can grab it(kenny seemed to have a lot
of defensive boards that came as a result of other celtics boxing
out).
I wanted to see more of Kendrick but he only got in towards the end of
garbage time.
Hoping this isn't an anomoly.
Noah
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 12:20:53 -0500
From: snoopy1@pig.net
Subject: Re: Celtics at Cleveland, or "Ouchie!"
>Cleveland might have done better by sending in the Hong Kong
>Cavaliers. (Free cookie to the first person to get the joke)
Josh Ozersky won the cookie by responding first. Way to go, Josh O!
Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 14:23:16 -0500
From: Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Very Few TV Viewers Care About The Celtics
Their 2001 - 2002 NBA debut finishes fourth in the Boston TV Sports
Ratings behind Baseball, Bruins, and Jordan's return.
Ray
------------------------------
Date: 31 Oct 2001 14:53:41 EST
From: Kestutis.Kveraga@dartmouth.edu (Kestutis Kveraga)
Subject: Re: Very Few TV Viewers Care About The Celtics
- --- You wrote:
Their 2001 - 2002 NBA debut finishes fourth in the Boston TV Sports
Ratings behind Baseball, Bruins, and Jordan's return.
- --- end of quote ---
Aren't you lucky today...That made your day, no doubt.
I wondered whether most people on this list watched MJ and baseball over the
Celtics, since there have been relatively few posts about the Celtics'
season
opener. I personally watched every minute of the Celts-Cavs game, and barely
any MJ-Knicks, even when the Celts-Cavs game was over. I'm already sick of
MJ's
return (or, rather, media's treatment of it), and playing the Knicks - the
most boring team in the NBA to me - didn't help pique my interest. I did
watch
the Lakers get their "world" (apparently circumscribed by the NBA) champion
rings, though.
Kestas
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 15:05:02 -0500
From: "Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>
Subject: Thoughts from last night, looking ahead
I watched most of the first three quarters, until it was obvious it was
going to turn into extended garbage time. A few thoughts...
Pierce looked like the player of the month from last March. The Cavs simply
had no answer. He could have scored 40 without breaking a sweat.
Toine really controlled the boards and pushed the pace. Still took some
ill-advised shots, but the difference between last night's 6-for-20 and one
of his typical 6-for-20 efforts was the trips to the foul line. Nice game
for Toine.
The rest... really didn't matter, and I think that's going to be a theme for
this team. When Toine and Pierce both play well, they can beat anyone. When
one of them doesn't play their best, they'll struggle. Yes, Kenny was
better. Yes, Joe Johnson had a nice debut. But it's Toine and Pierce. The
team will live and die with them.
Overall, I'd say you can't really take away much from last night. It was one
of those nights when the Celts could do no wrong and the Cavs could do no
right. The Celts are the better team, but the stars were aligned last night.
Tonight should be a nice test. I flipped over to the second half of the
Nets-Pacers game last night and came away impressed with the Nets. They were
down big early and Jason Kidd took over. What a player. How good would the
Celts be with that guy at PG? I would guess the Nets would try to play
Kenyon Martin on Toine, with Van Horn on Eric Williams. Those should be
interesting matchups. Anyway, this is one of those early measuring-stick
games, because the Nets are going to make a move in the East, and figure to
be battling the Celts for that final playoff spot.
Did any scores from around the league last night pique anyone's interest?
For me, the Nets' win (is Jersey for real? Is Isiah at it again?), the
Bucks' win in Utah (Mason handled the Mailman), Denver's win in Phoenix (is
Marbury the anti-Kidd?), and Atlanta's OT loss at Houston (despite a
nightmare game for Terry and Kukoc).
Looking forward to tonight more than I did last night. I always enjoy these
kinds of games-good matchups against teams that figure to be fighting for
the same thing.
Mark
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 16:00:31 -0500
From: Francis Hsu <francis@ai.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Thoughts from last night, looking ahead
On Wed, Oct 31, 2001 at 03:05:02PM -0500, Berry, Mark S wrote:
> Did any scores from around the league last night pique anyone's interest?
Other than a couple of the ones you mentioned..
Washington-New York. Pretty much because Jordan typically has his
greatest nights at the Garden. The fact that he had an OK night and did
not pull off a clutch, game-winning shot in that situation is a refreshing
change.
Toronto-Orlando. Just one game, but who would have predicted a blowout
to this extent?
As far as Atlanta keeping it close.. the important thing is that they lost.
With their difficult opening schedule, hopefully they will be losing many
more in the near future...
> Looking forward to tonight more than I did last night. I always enjoy
these
> kinds of games-good matchups against teams that figure to be fighting for
> the same thing.
A convincing win like last night would be just what the doctor ordered. :)
Francis
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 16:34:29 -0500
From: "Michael A. DiZio" <mdizio@rcn.com>
Subject: Wife forgot to pay cable bill. Help a poor fan see the Cleveland
game!
Hey, could anyone send me a tape of the cleveland game? Those morons at
RCN shut us off prematurely and then took a week to turn our service
back on , including our Internet service. I would gladly pay postage
,tape costs ,whatever it takes. Let me know, I appreciate it!!!
Michael A. DiZio
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 16:16:57 -0600
From: "Nathan A." <nja13@alltel.net>
Subject: My first trip to the Fleet
I have been a lifelong Celtics fan, but being in Nebraska, I've only been
to one game a couple of years ago in Denver. Well, this December my Dad and
I will be coming to Boston for a few days to go to our first Celtic games
in Boston. We will be going to the Dec. 21 game v. Utah and the Dec. 23
game v. Memphis.
I looked online for tickets and all that are left are deep in the corners,
far away from the court. Do any of you have suggestions for finding better
tickets? I wouldn't even mind the balcony if it were along the sideline.
Any other advice for getting along in Boston would be welcomed as well.
What are some good, reasonably priced places to stay near the
downtown/Fleet area?
My dad and I are really looking forward to this trip. I hope the outcome of
the games is better than when we went to Denver. That was the year the
Nuggets were threatening the all-time losing record. It was February and
they only had four wins... we saw them get their fifth against the C's that
night. Oh, well, at least I got Travis Knight's autograph out of the deal!
;)
Bleeding green in Big Red country,
Nathan A.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 15:43:21 -0800
From: bird <birdwl@earthlink.net>
Subject: Away opener
Some guy came back from retirement? Sorry, didn't notice -- my team was
delivering a good, clean, old-fashioned ass-whuppin' on the Cavs. I was
going to respond earlier, but Kestas stole my thunder by saying the things
I was going to. Two major points in agreement, though: Have to give Kenny
his props, he played very well and I saw him "whizzing passes" and pushing
the ball. Good stuff. Will it last? Um, he played very well last night.
And Walluh? Lordy, lordy. He's the most random, chaotic basketball
player I've ever seen -- in ways worse than the kid who doesn't know what'
s going on in elementary PE -- either his chaotic energy is doing good
things for the team, or it's like a tweeker sitting next to you on a bus.
Oh, one other point: Celts opened up a can. This is jim-dandy, as winning
the first 4 of 5 (as others have mentioned) is key. On the downer side, I
really want to give the Obiewon System a chance, but Eric WIlliams and
Walter McCarty as our backup PF's? C's management seems to have a strange
attitude about the Troika: they're good enough to play center, but not
backup 4. Anyone else wonder why Kedrick Brown didn't see any minutes
until late in the fourth? I mean, I can see Forte out-playing him so far
(and at a vulnerable position), but why not give him McCarty's minutes?
On my way to (free seats at) the Blazer home opener. but not before
catching the first half of the C's matchup and setting the vcr for the
rest.
(The Celtic "Tird")
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 18:45:15 EST
From: Mafiaso316@AOL.com
Subject: Question
Does anyone on the list have a link to a listing of all players who have
played for the Celtics? Thanks for the info.
Mafiaso316
------------------------------
End of The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V8 #365
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