O'Brien Living In A Fantasy World, Says The Celtics Are Going To Run More

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Without a legitimte PG?

C's get Green light: O'Brien plans to emphasize running game

by Steve Bulpett
Boston herald
Friday, October 4, 2002


The Celtics plan to run more this season, which, if theory becomes
practice, means two things: more easy baskets and a quieter Tommy
Heinsohn. Heck, if the Celts get out on the fast break with any
regularity, the sore back that hounded old Tommy Gun last season may not
hurt quite so much.

The former Celtics player and coach will get his wish, according to the
current Celtics coach. For Jim O'Brien, it's more a matter of taking
advantage of all the defensive improvements the club has made over the
last year.

``I think it'll be noticeable,'' O'Brien said of the emphasis on
opportunity hoops. ``I don't think we got enough out of our offense last
year when you consider that we were third in the league in field goal
defense, tops in steals, fourth in defensive rebounding percentage and
had the best turnover differential.

``I think that should translate - hopefully, ideally - into a higher
percentage shot and easier baskets down the other end. That would be the
thing we would hope for.''

Asked why it didn't work that way last season, the coach said flatly,
``We didn't practice it.

``Over the last 24 games of the season we shot a much higher percentage
and we averaged close to 100 points a game. So it's not that we didn't
take advantage of our defense. When the defense did get better toward
the end of the season, we started scoring more points. It started to
come a little bit last year.

``It's tough to play great team defense, especially when you're playing
two guys 40 minutes (Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker), and then ask them
to run all the time, also. I think over the course of a hundred-game
season that's a little tough. And if anybody needs a blow, I'd rather
see them take it on the offensive end when you're fast-breaking. They
can't take it on the defensive end.''

But Walker acknowledged that it can be easier on the body to run lanes
than to get stuck in a halfcourt set and be forced to run through a
series of picks and bang the boards inside for points.

Sometimes he'd rather run than fight.

``Who wouldn't?'' Walker said. ``We would love to run and get easy
opportunity baskets. That's what every team dreams of, and obviously we
saw the New Jersey Nets live off that. We've just got to try to take
that mentality but also have the mentality that we've got to clean up
the glass, too.

``The main thing is controlling the glass. We don't want to give up the
glass trying to get out on the break. We need all five guys to come
back, and if the break is there, we'll take it. If not, we have a good
enough halfcourt offense to where we can get in there and score in the
halfcourt set.''

The halfcourt offense, Walker believes, will be even stronger this year.

``I think now we're prepared for that for the simple fact that we have
point guards that can extend the defense,'' he said. ``Kenny (Anderson)
was a great midrange shooter. Now we've got people to extend the defense
(point guards Shammond Williams, Tony Delk and JR Bremer). And we've got
Vin (Baker), and Tony (Battie)'s gotten better, so we can go inside.
We've added more options to our offense. We're going to be prepared for
every (defensive) scheme.

``But if we can control the glass again and get out, you'll see more
fast breaks. That's an emphasis right now in training camp, trying to
get out and run and get easy baskets. Guys are sprinting the floor and
not really having a set play, just trying to get to the basket on the
break. Obviously that's going to be up to our wing guys - Paul and Eric
(Williams) - to get out and run and just attack the basket.''

So Walker can either take it himself on the break or he can sit back and
throw long passes like a certain Patriots quarterback.

Walker smiled and shook his head.

``I ain't got Tom Brady's skills, man,'' he said.