Re: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V9 #162

["Ron Pasik" <quinielabox@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

We are making too many mistakes out there. Not Covering the shooters like we
were earlier, not boxing out Jason Kidd on the boards, missing FT at critical
times, missing open look J's. If we simply do not have the energy to compete,
it will show up early on Friday's game. The patterns of slow starts is a bad
indicator for the Celtics. They would not have come back in the 3rd qtr if
Erick Strickland had not had his career night.

Eric Williams is useless out there. Start Rodney Rogers in his place or start
Eric Strickland to D up on Jason Kidd. That would be a start. New Jersey may
well be simply better at this point and if the game starts 31 - 16, New
Jersey, that is the way it is and we have to work on our offense in the
off-season.  Good offensive execution takes the burden off the defense because
transition baskets happen off of defensive mistakes.

Somehow, if we had knocked down our open looks early, the game would have
swung to our favor and we could get confidence and put Jersey in a 15 point
hole. Jersey will be the ones who have to expend energy to catch us and then
they are the ones pressing and making mistakes, not us.

Overall, I am delighted with the progress made by the Celtics and I believe
that Walker and Pierce will continue to improve. The future looks bright
provided we resign Rogers and Cook develops and replaces Kenny Anderson at PG
and Kedrick Brown becomes our third wheel. Battie is a fine center who has
stepped up big and is a contract bargain. Potapenko is a good backup Center.
His picks were missed this series and his physical play would have given the
Celtics personality. If we get a designated shooter in Josip Sesar next year,
we become a basketball machine. I don't agree with naysayers who say the
Celtics are phony and benefitted from a bad Eastern Conference. This team has
arrived and the next generation of Celtics champions are on the doorstep.  Get
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