Re: Mercy

[bird <birdw@xxxxxxx>]

> From: Cecil <cecil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> I thought the team played very hard in the 2nd half and had EWill hit 
> the
> layup off the inbounds play, they may well have pulled this one out.  
> My
> biggest complaint is when we fight back like that, by driving to the 
> hoop,
> and take the lead by a point with a few minutes left, we seem content 
> to
> fire away from downtown when the shot is not falling, while the refs 
> are
> rewarding us for driving.
Yeah.  Obie seems content to play the more general percentages rather 
than game-specific ones.  I mean, he's always thinking the three is a 
good shot for the team to take, rather than what seemed to be working 
in this game, which was penetrating.  Seems to me, that, because of 
match-ups, streaks, and what-have-you, it'd be better to go with 
whatever's working.  Though clearly you can out-think yourself on that 
one, as well.

It "boiled down" to a lot of plays, though: if Shammond had recovered 
quicker on defense, he might have bothered McGrady's last shot; Pierce 
could get a call on his last shot, or drive to the basket, and of 
course, the EWill gimme you mentioned.  Lot's of things, because in a 
game this close you can look at any few plays and say they're critical. 
 It was a tough one, that way.

The team's definitely going through a rough patch, but who can really 
say this is a surprise?  Haven't we seen this throughout Obie's tenure? 
 The C's hit the skids, the list undergoes mass hysteria, the C's 
recover.  Yet that being said, it'd be nice to see a turnaround and 
quickly.  I don't know exactly what must be done, but getting a few 
more guys into the rotation (and another actual NBA player or two -- 
see below), like Kedrick Brown (when healthy enough) and a more 
hands-on approach to the the offensive scheme by someone or three on 
that massive coaches' bench might be a good place to start.

Because we can't keep playing the two main guys 45 minutes a freaking 
game and expect them to be fresh later in the season.  And, while I see 
flashes of defense like last year and I secretly think it's possible to 
replicate that this season, sometimes the C's offense crawls to an 
agonizingly miniscule efficiency.  It's fine, I guess, if the 
Saturation Bombing Method is the plan, but there's got to be room for a 
strategy that depends less on volume at the end of close games.  And, 
while sometimes the C's offense flows freely, sometimes they can get 
nothing going because they lack off-the-ball movement.  It's fine to 
let Walkerpierce initiate the offense, even with a one-on-one move, I 
think, as long as the other four guys have a balance of spacing (for 
shooters) and moving without the ball (non-shooters, or in Obie's 
system, Tony Battie).

As for acquiring more talent, I usually don't like to give any credence 
to these sorts of off-the-cuff remarks in newspapers, mostly because 
they're rarely actualized, but ...  if the Boston Celtics acquire Dana 
Barros again, I'll definitely blow a gasket.  Or have a coniption fit.  
One or the other.  Or possibly I may go for the myocardial infarction, 
which may require the use of a defibrillator to restore my normal 
heartbeat.  But seriously, I'll reconsider that whole "Chris Wallace's 
Mental Capacity" question if he signs 35-year old Dana Barros.  Lordy, 
I don't even know what he brings to the table, as I was less than 
impressed by the mention in the paper of his three-point prowess and 
his "fitness craze".  I do know that I'd take a lot less cash to chuck 
threes and let, at 6'0", guys shoot over me.  Much, much less.

But he'll never grab Barros, will he?  I still can't make myself think 
Barros signs with this team.  Or maybe I just hope it, really, really 
hard.

Bird