FW: [Celtics' Stuff HOOPSWORLD @ BskBALL.com | The NBA Information website

[Jim Metz <james.metz@verizon.net>]

----------
From: davidp4660@aol.com
Reply-To: Celticsstuffgroup@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2002 20:36:08 EDT
To: Celticsstuffgroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Celtics' Stuff HOOPSWORLD @ BskBALL.com | The NBA Information
website


In a message dated 04/13/2002 7:08:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
james.metz@verizon.net writes:




  Now, this just riles me no end. Why in the world is Jimmy O'Brien not
mentioned in this , the zillionth guy writing a column, from the N.Y.T. to
the internet hot sheets, about coach of the year? Everyone is deferring to
Scott or Carlisle. I mean give me a break! What? Are we 1/2 game behind
Detroit? Could you go to the above article and put O'Brien's name in where
you read Carlisle, except the last sentence, which contains the "heresay"
about who Larry Legend wanted to coach the Pacers?
  Do these guys read the internet hypola that the Celtics players run the
show and O'Brien calls the plays around his players wishes?
  If so, I believe they are either lazy and accepting someone else's buzz,
or they will soon join the ranks of those who have underestimated , Jimmy
for months, only to wonder how he could have bungled and been bullied, his
way, here.
JB
********************

I can understand that not every coach has the luxury of having 2 players
like Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker on the same team, but O'Brien has by and
large used most of Pitnino's groceries, and turned some garbage into a
pretty decent meal.  Let's be real, O'Brien and the Celtics almost won 50
games this season.  I don't by the crap that the C's are where they are
because the rest of the conference is just plain weak, nor that they took
advantage of injuries on other teams.  What were we supposed to do, lose
those games?  Isn't that the mark of a good team? And isn't being healthy a
sign that you are, to some extent, conditioned well enough to avoid them?
Lets face it, you can count on one hand the number of games that this team
lost because of poor coaching.  The C's, this season, beat many of the best
in the league on their own turf.  The C's were good both on the road and at
home, and against the East as well as well as the West.  O'Brien is damn
well responsible for the C's success.
I realize that he isn't putting the ball in the hole, but between he and
Dick Harter, this team is putting out a very fine product, albeit with an
unconventional style not appealing to many.  I read on another board what a
"moron coach" O'Brien was for either this move, or that play.  That is pure
bull.  The C's, by and large, are a non-prototypical team, made up of
two-thirds wing players, and one-third of players playing out of position.
So, either this was done by design, or the "brain trust" has developed an
ingenious plan on how to win with what you have.  Something has to give,
because this team almost finished 2nd in the Eastern Conference, so which is
it, design or plan?
O'Brien certainly belongs among the top 2 or 3 for the award.  Hell, O'B
didn't get the luxury of acquiring the likes of a Jason Kidd in the
off-season.  He has turned a losing team into a winning team-one that hasn't
been in Boston in over a decade.
That's OK, though, the hell with the award.  Let O'B do the talking in the
playoffs.
I have a good feeling about this team.  Part of it is because we have two
players Pierce and Walker who can mentioned in the same sentence as Larry
Bird and Kevin McHale.  And, at 25 and 24 yrs of age, we have them locked up
long term to boot.  The other part is that for the first time in a long
time, I'm enjoying  watching team defense.  This team is actually winning
because of good defense.  That's what helped win championships in the past.
And, they are resilient.  This team has bounced back from every slump, and
went on winning streaks by beating good teams on their own courts.  Yes, a
lot of it has to do with having two studs in Walker and Pierce, but O'B has
had as much if not more to do with it.  He has a confident team, and each he
has each and every player busting their butts for him.  And this is the same
team that many of the so-called basketball geniuses had predicted  wasn't
going anywhere.  So much for the "three Stooges" theory.
DavidP


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