Fwd: [Celtics' Stuff -"I left guys on the court a little too long,..."-Globe

[JB <jimmetz@xxxxxxx>]

	Tammo, here's the quote and the whole article.
	 I'm sorry you and Lance went at it again. That's two days in a row,
my posts  have started an uproar. Well, at least you are talking to him
again. :>)
	I read your take on the below quote, in the response to Lance and I
agree it can be ambiguous, however,  it doesn't appear so cut and dried
to me.
	First, the quote on the  22nd is irrelevant. We all read and
understood O'Brien's message,  that they both would play 40 minutes
against Dallas. It was after the Dallas game that he said:

> ''I will probably make some alterations in the substitution pattern,''
> O'Brien said. ''I left guys on the court a little too long, {and} I
> should have subbed a little quicker to make sure we are always as
> fresh as we can be on the court.''

	If you look at  the word "and," which I bracketed, it could easily be
interpreted to mean that he left the guys on the court too long AND
should have subbed quicker. "Both," being the concept  open to
interpretation. Could he have meant that they played too many minutes
AND were left on the floor, too many, in a row, to be fresh against
Dallas? That's how I read it. That he had some regrets about the Dallas
game minutes and would scale them back against Chicago, but probably I
was holding him to too precise a usage mark, since, as was obvious, he
did not cut back their minutes.

	JB

	Unchain My Heart !

Ps. Egg: Guru means teacher, it's not another affectionate name for
Grandmother!

****************
From: JimMetz@mac.com
Date: Fri Oct 25, 2002  6:06:40  AM US/Eastern
To: "Celtics' Stuff" <Celticsstuffgroup@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [Celtics' Stuff -"I left guys on the court a little too
long,..."-Globe
Reply-To: Celticsstuffgroup@yahoogroups.com

THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING

O'Brien sees simple solutions to problems

By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff, 10/25/2002

WALTHAM - The Celtics' vulnerabilities might have been exposed in a
105-97 exhibition loss to Dallas Wednesday night. But there are some
simple solutions to the team's problems, according to coach Jim O'Brien.

O'Brien emphasized transition defense, rebounding, and proper spacing
in the half-court game in a one-hour-plus film session before practice
yesterday. The Celtics meet Washington tonight in their final tuneup
before the regular-season opener against Chicago Wednesday.

''We are not where we want to be,'' O'Brien said. ''There are so many
things we want to improve on. You can't give up easy baskets, though
Dallas moves and shoots so well, and plays at a frenetic pace. [The
Mavericks] did not have that many rebounds because they shot well, but
we need to stick bodies on people.''

The Celtics' passing game was effective but inconsistent, and O'Brien
is hoping to achieve a balance.

''We have nine offensive goals and nine defensive goals every game,''
O'Brien said. ''And one of them is turnovers to assists [ratio]. We
were very good offensively, we had 24 assists, but too many turnovers
[16]. It's the discipline of making the simple pass every time. That is
what great teams do, and we showed signs of it. But it's all about
decision-making, fundamentals.

''It's not about making the home run pass every time. It's not just
about making the pass that leads to the score, the pass that leads to
the assist is important.''

The Celtics had a plus-2.7 turnover edge on opponents, best in the NBA,
last season.

''I don't know how many games are decided by [close scores] but we had
a lot of 5-point games, and those can be decided by not turning it over
and having those extra possessions,'' O'Brien said. ''If we are making
18-19 turnovers, that's six or seven extra possessions we are not
getting.''

The Celtics had 13 assists in an 84-73 loss to Toronto last Sunday.

O'Brien has settled on a nine-man rotation, with starters Tony Battie,
Tony Delk, Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, and Eric Williams backed by Vin
Baker, Walter McCarty, Bruno Sundov, Shammond Williams.

''I will probably make some alterations in the substitution pattern,''
O'Brien said. ''I left guys on the court a little too long, and I
should have subbed a little quicker to make sure we are always as fresh
as we can be on the court.''

The Celtics are 3-4 in the exhibition season as they prepare to meet
the Michael Jordan-led Washington Wizards, who are 5-2.

''That Jordan is in the league is absolutely wonderful,'' O'Brien said.
''I am happy he decided to play this year. Washington is a strong ball
club with Jerry Stackhouse [19.7 points per game this preseason], Kwame
Brown [13.1], Larry Hughes [14.5]. Jordan brings so much to the NBA,
charisma and interest in the league. The interest wouldn't necessarily
be at the level it is without him and I hope he plays many, many more
years.''

Jordan scored 14 points in an 86-66 loss to Detroit Wednesday night.
Jordan has played two games, averaging 19 minutes, but his 11.0 points
per game is fourth on the team.

The Celtics' roster was officially announced at 12 with the waiving of
Tommy Adams, Jay Locklier, and Byron Mouton.

This story ran on page E2 of the Boston Globe on 10/25/2002.
) Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.