Re: [Celtics' Stuff * "The night they drove ol d Dixie down, and the bells were ringing…"-Her ald

[JB <jimmetz@xxxxxxx>]

	Which team slept well and bounded out of bed this AM, on the way to 
the airport? I expect the Hawks awoke; bleary eyed and heavy afoot, 
with that old ache in the heart, reserved for losers, who haven't yet 
figured out how to win the tough ones.
	Phillips arena tonight should resemble a morgue, for the 9000, or so, 
fans in attendance, who brave the winter weather (hey Musty, you 
shoveling out the driveway this AM ? 5 inches in the Smokies, they tell 
me.), which will do little to inspire the potentially sluggish home 
team.
	Last night's game was not a character builder, it was  character 
displaying. If I was betting tonight's game, I'd take the Celts and the 
three points being offered. In fact, I expect a runaway.
	As  put so well, by the inimitable Snoopy:
	
"The C's scrambled on both ends, and every Celtic on the floor
fought tooth and nail for every piece of the parquet."
	"This was a game the Celtics won not by outplaying Atlanta, but 
outworking
them.  This was a win with sweat, not skill.  It was a tough, hard,
inch-by-inch game every step of the way, and the only time the C's were 
in
offensive command was late in the second overtime.  This was an amazing
test of the C's ability to hang in there.  It bespeaks a never-say-die
attitude they're going to need as the season wears on, especially with
their short rotation."

	Now the question arises, where does this "True Grit" come from? Over 
the summer, we lost  many of our character guys. Strickland, Potapenko 
and Rogers, were the ones, last season, taking charges, sticking up for 
their teammates and holding their poise when the games got rough.
	Did Eric Williams dig it up from the streets of Newark? Where was that 
fire early in his career? Tony Battie, AKA: "El-Busto," didn't bring it 
with him from Denver. Vin Baker, of the in YOUR face, Mr. Mutombo, 
didn't bring anything from Seattle except the rainy weather. Can we 
thank Rick Pitino and his I.V. requiring practices.? He had Walter, 
Walker and Delk at Kentucky. No, I don't think so. We played like 
flower children, during his term.
	Walker or Pierce? they were here for five + years and did nothing but 
clog the stat lines until Jimmy"O" took over.
	Oh yeah, Jimmy O'Brien. Could it be his heart and will that the team 
has manifested? Something has happened to this bunch of pampered, 
immature , millionaires, since the middle of the 2000-2001 season, 
exactly the date that "O'biwhon" picked up the marshal's  badge, from 
that dusty street!
	We are truly a dysfunctional team. There is no center, no point guard, 
just a bunch of three point shooters. We are led by two selfish stars, 
who each took 30+ shots last night and only one of them shot near 40%, 
but we still keep winning. Listen to Antoine Walker last night, after 
the win:
	
	 ''It's no secret what we are doing,'' Walker said. ''Either me or 
Paul are going to get the ball and everything initiates from that set.''
	
	Unashamed that he, as alleged team distributor, shot 10-30? How can a 
team win when two  players insist on taking 60 shots in a game and 
barely make 35% of them?
	Well they won with heart and effort.
	Again, from Walker:
	
  ``We have to get back to being one of the top five teams in this 
league defensively, and we got going in the right direction tonight,'' 
said Walker. ``We stayed with our defense, and that's what you have to 
do to be a playoff team. This felt more like a playoff game in that 
way.''
	
	And Tony Delk,  who reportedly will not play tonight, to be with his 
ill daughter (although, Charlotte is only a few hours drive from 
Atlanta on I95):
	
	``Everyone made a commitment to playing good defense tonight,'' Delk 
said. ``They'd take a shot and everyone went to the boards. Our defense 
is what put us in the lead.''
	
	Delk's quote underlines a remarkable statistic. After a dismal start 
to the season, with all sorts of  pundits warning that rebounding was 
an insurmountable weakness, for the second game in a row, the Celtics 
shot poorly, but dominated the boards. Defense and rebounding are all 
about desire and the Celtics surely have that going  for them.
	We made the Nets out to be just another team and now we've one leg up 
on sweep of highly regarded  Atlanta.
	Can we win tonight, a back to back, away from home, after Waker and 
Pierce played like 100 minutes? Damn right, we can!
	As long as Walker and Pierce will commit to doing the dirty work, 
along with hoisting up an unfair and imprudent amount of shots, the 
rest of the gang will follow.



		JB

	Unchain My Heart !