Re: [Celtics' Stuff Poor coaching again by Obie loses game

[Kestas <Kestutis.Kveraga@dartmouth.edu>]

At 11:04 3/23/2002 EST, you wrote:
>
>I get so tired of hearing the constant criticism of O'Brien. The C's will 
>probably end up winning 45 - 48 games this season. To hear some folks tell 
>it, Phil Jackson or Pat Riley or Van Gundy or fill in the blank would coach 
>circles around O'Brien. That logic implies Jackson, Riley, JVG, etc., could 
>make this same roster a legitimate championship team based upon 'superior' 
>coaching. What a crock of sh**.

The issue here is not how many games they will win, but how many they
*should* win, given their level of ability. What we're talking about here
is maximizing the potential of this particular group of players, which is
the point of having a coach in the first place. Some listers seem to think
that Obie is getting the max out of this crew. Others may think he's
sabotaging their season. 

I think he's getting a lot out of them through the excellent chemistry he
has created on this team, and through his emphasis on defense (which works
because of his relationship to the players - i.e., they usually play hard
for him). However, he's NOT maximizing this team's  abilities because of
his (flawed) offensive philosophy. This is exemplified by the 'license to
shoot' (often, themselves in the foot) that he's given his players, an
ugly, static offense that overrelies on the 3, and poor execution on the
fast break. To say that any critique of Obie is 'a crock of sh**' because
the Celtics will win X number of games as it is, is ridiculous because the
very same team would win X+N number of games with a smarter offense.  We've
seen what happens when these players are more judicious with their shot
selection, move without the ball, and  seek out the highest-percentage
shot. We saw it happen in the first quarter last night, we saw it in the
blowouts of Orlando and Detroit, the win against Philly. These players
*are* capable of  playing this way. They can occassionally motivate
themselves to do it for the big games, but not when they take the win for
granted. It's no coincidence they struggled against Washington and Memphis,
and beat up on Philly, Orlando, Detroit and NJ during the winning streak.
It's Obie's job to get them to play smart basketball consistently, and
encouraging them to put up the first shot that shows ain't gonna do it. 

Kestas