Boston Globe - May

[Eggcentric@xxxxxxx]

< Less than three weeks ago, O'Brien said he hadn't any plays for Baker. 
''We did have them at that time,'' he explained. ''But Vin didn't 
understand them.  He now knows that he can call his own play simply 
by making the right pass.'' > - Peter May 

Behold, I show you a mystery.  No plays, plays, or call your own plays. 

Is the wreath of our $53 million man/child, who upon his shaven
hoary head hath fallen many an NBA winter's snow, still green
enough? 

Can Baker's yesterdays ever be his tomorrows?

And the envelope please...

Egg
       
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Basic training for Celtics

Defense the focus for season opener

By Peter May, Globe Staff, 10/28/2002

WALTHAM - You've heard it before. You're hearing it now. You'll hear 
it all season long - and then some, the Celtics hope.

Defense.

Until last season, that was an abstract concept for the Celtics, 
elusive and difficult to grasp. Last year, it became part of the daily 
package. This year? Coach Jim O'Brien said yesterday he's seen it on 
occasion, usually from his starters, but is counting on everyone being 
able to do the basics. The first real test comes Wednesday night in 
the season opener against Chicago at the FleetCenter.

Yesterday's morning workout - there also was an evening session - 
focused almost entirely on defense. O'Brien said he stressed 
fundamentals such as ball containment, pick-and-roll coverage, 
putting bodies on people, and post defense.

''I don't think what we're doing is all that complicated,'' he said.

The coach said he has few worries about his starting five of Antoine 
Walker, Paul Pierce, Tony Battie, Eric Williams, and Tony Delk. He 
referenced the exhibition finale against the Wizards last week in 
which he put his starters into the game in the fourth quarter and 
''we got stops when we needed stops.

''But the whole team needs to get to the point where we're 
comfortable and everyone is on the same page, defensively. We're 
not there yet,'' he said.

Any predictions on when that magical day might arrive?

''It didn't come together until March last season,'' O'Brien said. 
''You hope it's sooner than March [this season].''

The Celtics' defensive numbers during the exhibition season were 
so-so.  They held opponents to 43.9 percent shooting, a digression 
from 42.5 percent from last season. They allowed 97.5 points a game, 
an increase of 3.4 over the 94.1 they allowed last season.

''We're not nearly where we need to be,'' O'Brien said.

That's what practices are for and they have a lot of time to work out 
the kinks. They'll practice today and tomorrow and then have a final 
shootaround Wednesday. But practice takes you only so far. Eventually, 
the games get in the way and that is where the Celtics' defense will 
be tested. And from then on, the results count.

The exhibition season is over - mercifully - and the final stats show 
Pierce leading the league in scoring at 22.5 points a game. Delk, 
meanwhile, was 10th in field goal percentage at 54.5 percent and 
eighth in 3-point shooting percentage at 51.7 percent. They were the 
only two Celtics among the league leaders in nine categories ... Over 
eight exhibition games, the Celtics averaged 97.8 points a game. 
Pierce also shared team rebounding honors (5.3) with Battie and led 
the team in assists at 4.1 a game, just ahead of Walker's 4.0. The 
Celtics also averaged more than 25 3-pointers. Pierce and Walker each 
attempted 42 over eight games ... Kedrick Brown, out with a sprained 
right ankle, has started to run on the treadmill. He sprained the ankle 
against the Bulls Oct. 10 and the projected period of idleness was 
4-6 weeks ... 

O'Brien said Vin Baker need not worry about being left out of the 
offensive flow. ''We've got plenty of plays for Vin,'' the coach said. 
Less than three weeks ago, O'Brien said he hadn't any plays for Baker. 
''We did have them at that time,'' he explained. ''But Vin didn't 
understand them. He now knows that he can call his own play simply 
by making the right pass.'' O'Brien said the team also would look for 
Baker inside, but added, ''You balance that against whether you have 
other mismatches that are more beneficial. Is Vin the biggest 
mismatch at that time? If he is, he's going to get the ball and get 
it a lot.'' 

... ESPN The Magazine has chosen O'Brien as its ''Power Coach'' in its 
NBA preview. The magazine highlighted power people in a number of 
categories, from players to agents to league executives. O'Brien got 
the nod for the work he did last year turning the Celtics into a 
defensive force and righting the ship after the departure of Rick 
Pitino. ''I would have ranked myself 29th,'' he joked.