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

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The Celts will have to score 100+ again because Atlanta averages 100+ tired
or not. Will they lose 3 in a row. Less than 50% chance. Steep hill to climb
w/o Delk.

DanF

----- Original Message -----
From: "JB" <jimmetz@mac.com>
To: <Celticsstuffgroup@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: "Celtics List" <Celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2002 9:00 AM
Subject: Re: [Celtics' Stuff * "The night they drove ol d Dixie down, and
the bells were ringing."-Herald


> 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 !