Re: Who's league is it anyway?

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

Like Jackson, OB has united the Celts. Some say he has weaknesses. I see a
successful team finally where a coach has incorporated new talent late in
the season and kept harmony on the entire team since he's been here. Until
someone else comes along and does better he deserves the credit. How else
can you judge?

DanF
----- Original Message -----
From: "JB" <JBMetzEA@yahoo.com>
To: "Celtics Stuff" <Celticsstuffgroup@Yahoogroups.com>; "Celtics@igtc"
<celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 7:53 AM
Subject: Who's league is it anyway?


>    In today's newspaper article, in the Herald, Paul Pierce (as quoted by
> Steve Bulpett) trumpets the news that it is a talent league and now we
have
> acquired some, which makes us competitive, at least, in the east.
>
>    `You've got to have the talent,'' Paul Pierce said. ``Over the last few
> years, we've had a lack of talent. You can look at it any way you want,
but
> that was what it was.
>
> ``Chemistry's still important, but even the most talented teams with a
lack
> of chemistry still make it into the playoffs. You have to have the talent.
> It's not like college where you can get by without some talent by playing
> hard. In this league, you've got to have people who can play.
>
> ``You don't see no Kent States in the NBA playoffs.''
>
> ``We're definitely more talented after the trade, so I guess our
> expectations of ourselves are going to go up,'' Pierce said. ``Originally
I
> think we would have been happy at the beginning of the year just to make
the
> playoffs. Now we're at the point where we want to win the Eastern
> Conference.
>
> ``I think teams have to look at us and say that. They have to know we're a
> threat, a team to be reckoned with. From 1-10, we're as strong as anybody
in
> the East.''
>
>    From my vantage point; yes, it's a talent league, but only from the
> marketing department's standpoint. It seems like the Celtics win or lose,
> forgetting about talent levels; playing hard on defense and unselfishly,
> moving the ball, at the offensive end.
>    Could contributions from Vitaly, Erick Strickland, Eric Williams and
> Walter McCarty, in terms of hard work and defensive efforts, count for
more
> than Paul has reckoned? Our "talent" is shooting around 42%.
>    The real owners of this league, to me, are the coaches.
>    Phil Jackson, took an L.A. team in disarray and helped the talent
become
> champions. Rick Adelman insists on teamwork and effective passing. Don
> Nelson is a master of the matchup and will tinker with his rotation all
> night, until he has gained the upper hand. Maurice Cheeks' team in
Portland
> is playing the way "Mo" played, for the great Sixer teams of the late 70's
> early 80's, who never were a real threat until they traded the talented
> George McGinnis, for the team guy; Bobby Jones.
>    George Karl is trying to do the same in Milwaukee. George may regret,
> this AM, his attempted gamesmanship, after Orlando handed his team it's
> head. Orlando, with out a deep roster and limited talent, is holding it's
> own in the playoff hunt. Sure they have McGrady, but little else. Didn't
> George learn last season, that Doc Rivers was a high level coach? Orlando,
> is now only one game behind Boston.
>    Detroit, with out a loaded roster, has passed the overly abundant
talent
> of Milwaukee, in the playoff picture in the  Central Division. Rick
Carlisle
> has them playing hard every night. Last night they beat a desperate Utah
> team, fighting for it's playoff life, on the road.
>    A championship team needs talent, surely, but  coaching; including the
> ability to motivate the "talent" into team goals, will be the deciding
> factor in whether Boston advances past the "we're lucky to be in the
> playoffs" mode.
>    I am very grateful for what Jimmy O'Brien has done for this team. He's
> given them a taste of winning. He has instilled a work ethic and had some
> impact on making them a cohesive unit. It remains to be seen, whether he
can
> keep them climbing the next few hills, until the team really does become a
> contender for a title. Many young coaches, get a team to a certain level
and
> then a more experienced coach is needed for the fine tuning. I'd like to
see
> him a bit more flexible, with playing time, but then again, it's his call,
> as he says.
>
>    ``I have to decide what I think is our best team on any given night,
and
> when I make that decision either prior to the game or as the game
progresses
> . . . then I can't necessarily give out minutes in equal portions,''
O'Brien
> said after the Celts worked out in preparation for tonight's game against
> Cleveland. ``I can't do that. I have to make a decision and it's my
> decision...." (Again as quoted by Steve Bulpett)
>
>    In those same news articles, Jimmy says that the team lost to Portland,
> for lack of effort. It isn't just Mark Berry or Lance that noticed. What
can
> Jimmy do about it? We'll find out some more of the Jimmy O'Brien story
> tonight, as Cleveland comes in, high as kites over a win against first
place
> ( also without great talent), New Jersey.
>
> ``If we would have played the defense that has gotten us nine games above
> .500, if we would have played the type of defense that we were playing up
> until about three weeks ago, we would have beaten them,'' he said. ``But
we
> did not, so we lost.''
>
> Asked if it was a matter of too many games and a lack of practice time,
> O'Brien shot back: ``Lack of getting the damn job done. Flat out.
>
> ``That's what it's a matter of.''
>
>          JB
>
> Link to current standings:
>
http://archive.sportserver.com/newsroom/sports/bkb/1995/nba/nba/stat/2000-01
> confstands_lo.html
>
>
>
>                 Unchain My Heart !