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

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@nycap.rr.com>]

Well said, OB's been the man. No doubt he let the team grow without forced,
unnecessary coaching, yelling from the sidelines. Obviously the man should
get recognition. As for columnists, put them in the same category as
politicians.

DanF

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Metz" <james.metz@verizon.net>
To: "Celtics@igtc" <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2002 8:50 PM
Subject: FW: [Celtics' Stuff HOOPSWORLD @ BskBALL.com | The NBA Information
website


> ----------
> 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