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

["Cecil Wright" <cecil@hfx.eastlink.ca>]

You must remember though Kestas, that they players are the ones who perform.
Obie is not responsible for the missed free throws not the other mental
lapses which are on display occasionally.

He has given them a licence to gun and they have responded to it by sitting
on the cusp of making the playoffs for the first time in many years.
Whether that is the most prudent thing for him to do as coach is open to
criticism, but by suggesting that he may not want to get the most out of
this current crop of Celtics is inherently unfair IMHO.

He took over this team amid a rough time and has righted the ship.  He
should be congratulated for his work thus far and I think he will get his
fair share of support when coach of the year awards are tallied.

We all know this team has flaws that need fixing, but I think Obie has done
pretty well overcoming the ghosts of Ricky and getting to play hard.  For
the most part, they do it.  And the coach deserves credit for it.  Don't
forget that this is his first crack coaching at this level too and he has
done as well as could be expected given his player personnel.

Cecil


----- Original Message -----
From: "Kestas" <Kestutis.Kveraga@dartmouth.edu>
To: <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2002 9:46 AM
Subject: Re: [Celtics' Stuff Poor coaching again by Obie loses game


> 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